


Memories

by CoppeliaRose



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Magic, Temporary Amnesia, The Enchanted Forest, Violence, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-05-17 15:22:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14834816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoppeliaRose/pseuds/CoppeliaRose
Summary: As Regina is running away from her problems, she has a close encounter with a tree branch, knocking her off her horse and leaving her unconscious. She's found by Emma who lives alone in the forest after a disagreement with her parents.How will the two women deal with the fact the Evil Queen lost all of her memories?





	1. Lost Memories

Regina was charging forward on her horse, needing to get away from the mess that was her palace and her kingdom and the insanity of everything that was going on in the Enchanted Forest.

It was all coming down on her. Everyone that was out for her blood was closing in on her. Perhaps if she hadn't listened to her late father and had cast the Dark Curse, she wouldn't have been in this position now, she figured. But it was too late to think like that.

The Charmings had ganged up on her by creating an army right under her nose, without her ever realising what they were up to. Before she knew it, they had her cornered and chased her out of the Dark Palace, giving her no chance to fight back.

Now, here she was... On her horse and running for dear life. She kept on going until she could no longer see the Dark Palace, or anything else of her or the White Kingdom. Her vision was blurring slowly as tears of anger filled her eyes. As she tried to wipe her tears away, she suddenly was whipped off her horse by a thick branch, effectively hitting her head and leaving her unconscious between the autumn leafs on the forest soil.

~*~

Emma was just making her rounds through the forest, deciding to make a slight detour from her usual path; when she suddenly saw a horse coming to her.  
"Wow... Hey, easy there." She tried to calm the horse down as it was clearly distressed. She climbed down her own horse and moved over to try and calm the other down by rubbing his nose and neck. "What is it? Where is your master?" She asked and the horse started moving, looking over its shoulder to where it first came from. Emma got up on the horse and took the reigns of her own horse as well. "Show me." She said and they took off in the direction of where the Queen lay.

Once the blonde got to the body, she didn't immediately recognise her. Emma could tell it was a woman and probably from a noble family if her attire was anything to go by, but her face was covered in blood, hair and leafs. She jumped off the horse and checked if the woman was still alive. She was breathing, slowly, but still breathing. She then check the wound on the woman's head and sighed. It was terribly swollen with a small enough cut, but it just bled terribly like most head wounds do. She then lifted the lady in her arms and put her on top of the horse unceremoniously before getting on as well.

Emma's first priority was to get her to a safe place and out of the cold.

~*~

Emma took the unconscious brunette to her cabin. The blonde might be royalty, but she liked the peace and quiet of the forest. She didn't want anything to do with the White Kingdom, not after raising hell to get rid of the Evil Queen. She agreed that the Evil Queen wasn't the most benevolent ruler and that her ways weren't right most of the time, but that didn't mean she agreed to trying to gang up on the woman with thousands and to have her killed at the same time. Emma believed in diplomacy and she believed that the Queen could be reasoned with if someone were to just actually listen to her.

After all, the Evil Queen's reign was perhaps with a firm hand and plenty of fear, but aside from all that, her subjects were well fed, had a roof over their head and a job. The economy wasn't doing bad either, so from that standpoint, her parents were absolutely wrong about the Queen. It's not like she didn't care about anyone but herself, it's that she held onto a grudge pointed at, back then, a teenager with an awfully big mouth.

Emma quickly carried the woman inside and put her on the bed before getting some water to clean the wound on her head. The blonde sat on the edge of the bed as she cleaned the blood off the woman's face. As she was wiping at the blood, she slowly realised she knew this person.  
"Regina...?" She frowned as she looked at the woman's blank face. Her eyes were closed as she was still unconscious.

Emma got up and slid her hands over her face as she contemplated what to do.  
"The Evil Queen is lying on my bed... Unconscious." She said and then looked back at the woman. She groaned and then sighed in defeat. "Evil or not... You're no threat to me now." She said softly as she reasoned with herself and sat back down again before tending to the cut on the woman's head. She bandaged it up as best as she could, bundeling her up in some blankets to warm her up and let her rest since she didn't really have any other choice. Instead, the blonde went to get some food. She would be needing more supplies if she were to feed two mouths instead of just one. And so, Emma set out to go hunting. It didn't take her long to find a rabbit. It would do for tonight at least, she figured. After obtaining said rabbit she returned to the cabin, where to her surprise, the woman was sitting up on the bed, grabbing her head.

"I doubt you should be moving, your Majesty..." Emma said and the woman slowly looked at her.  
"Who are you calling 'your Majesty'?" She asked and Emma frowned a little. She put the rabbit aside and pulled a chair closer to the bed before sitting down.  
"You mean to say you don't remember who you are?" The blonde asked softly and the woman looked around a bit before looking back at the blonde.  
"No... But I have a feeling you do." The brunette said and looked down at herself and more importantly, the attire that she was wearing.  
"What is this... Did you put me in this?" She picked at the black clothes and tried to get comfortable in the corset, which was impossible as it was laced so tightly.  
"Your name is Regina Mills. That's all you need to know... And as your clothes go, I'm afraid your wardrobe ranges from that to scandalously sexy dresses a lot tighter than that one." The blonde murmured the last part. The brunette looked at Emma and was a bit confused about the statement but let it go. Her head hurt too much to really think about it.  
"I see... Well, can you help me out of this... Thing at least?" She pointed at the corset. "It's difficult to breathe and my back and shoulders are killing me." She sounded quite urgent, and so Emma got to work immediately. She just took a knife and cut through the lacing, effectively getting rid of the corset. She threw it on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed.  
"Do you mind if I look at your back?"  
"Yes, I mind..." The woman turned around and bit her lip. It was easy to tell she was insecure because of the situation.  
"I just want to check if you don't have any wounds. I didn't mean anything with it." Emma held up her hands in defense. Regina looked at her a little longer and then slowly nodded her consent.  
"Fine. It just feels sore though..." She said and Emma slowly peeled the dress the woman was wearing apart, just far enough to take a look at the woman's back.  
"And?" Regina asked as Emma didn't move for a while.  
"Sorry... Uuhm nothing is wrong. It might bruise but no chafing or other wounds." Emma said and put the dress back together while cursing herself for staring at the woman's lean body. Regina looked over her shoulder quietly, looking at Emma as she finished lacing up the dress.

"How... Do you know me?" Regina asked softly and Emma met her eyes.  
"Well... I can't really say we officially met. We have passed each other a few times in the hallways between meetings, but other than that... My name is Emma by the way." Emma quickly introduced herself as she suddenly realised she hadn't even told the woman her name.  
"I can tell you're avoiding to be specific, Emma." She said and turned to Emma properly. It was a bit concerning how the blonde was avoiding speaking about her in detail.  
"I'm sorry... It's just that I think everyone will be better off if you don't remember. Especially you." She said softly and looked into the beautiful hazel eyes.  
"But why?" The brunette asked softly.  
"Because you were probably running away when you got knocked off your horse." Emma said and pointed at the cut on the woman's forehead. Regina reached up slowly and winced a little as she touched the bump covered by the bandages.  
"Perhaps... It's better I forgot then." She agreed softly and closed her eyes while sighing. Emma got up and gently guided the woman to lie down.   
"Your head must be hurting. Get some rest, I'll make dinner." The brunette looked at the blonde and nodded. She let her eyes close again and tried to get comfortable.

~*~

It was a couple of hours later when Regina woke up again. Her head was still hurting, but not as badly as it did before. She looked around the cabin and rubbed her eyes a little, trying to focus as she watched Emma poke around in the fire to bring it back to life. The brunette sat up and watched Emma closely as she tended to the fire and the rabbit that was being cooked over it. She started thinking about if she ever had rabbit before, only to be reminded that she couldn't remember much of anything.  
"Oh, you're awake." Emma smiled brightly as she turned to look at Regina who was deep in thought. "Dinner is almost ready." She added and turned back to the rabbit, inspecting it more closely. The brunette snapped out of her trance and looked at Emma again, watching her as the fire lit up her face and how the light enhanced the golden color of the woman's curls.

"You have something to drink? I'm thirsty." Regina said and put her fingers to her throat. Emma turned to look at her and nodded.  
"Sure." She got up and poured the woman some water from a jug. "I hope water is fine." She said as she handed the cup to Regina. The Queen smiled gently and took the cup, drinking from it. She didn't realize how parched she was until she actually emptied the entire cup in one go. "Want some more?" Emma asked and looked at her with a small smile. Regina nodded.  
"Please." She held out the cup again for her to fill and this time sipped it more slowly, putting it aside when she was done.

"So... What am I to do now?" Regina asked softly while Emma had gone back to the fire and took the rabbit off the spit.  
"Well, there isn't much we can do other than wait and see if your memory comes back."  
"If it comes back at all." The brunette said.  
"Well, even if you don't get it back... I suppose it's life's way of giving you a new start." The blonde said and carved up the rabbit. "Personally, I think it might be better like this. It's not like you were happy." Emma said carefully and gave the woman a plate with some of the rabbit along with a fork.  
"So you've told me."  
"I'm sorry... It's not for me to judge of course, but wouldn't you rather start anew than to be stuck with a life filled with death and destruction?" The blonde asked.  
"It's just a lot to take in." Regina looked at the plate of meat and sighed. "I'm sorry... I'm not really hungry. I think I might try and get some more sleep." She said and handed back the plate. Emma took it and put it aside.  
"Don't worry about it. We can talk about this later."

It was silent for a while and Regina slowly moved to lie down, this time with her back turned to Emma.  
"Thank you... for helping me."


	2. Hidden Memory

Morning came and Regina slowly woke up from her slumber. She tried to roll over but was met with resistance. She frowned and sat up carefully, looking over her shoulder. She watched as Emma was passed out right behind her as they were lying back to back. The brunette bit her lip and slowly moved to lie back down. It wasn't like she had anything to do after all and she didn't want to wake her saviour either, so just she lay there and closed her eyes, trying hard to remember what happened but nothing came to her. She groaned in frustration and punched the wall in front of her, immediately regretting her course of action and whining while holding her hand.  
"Good job Regina." She whimpered and looked at her hand. Her knuckles were a little chafed but that was it.

Emma had woken up from the little stunt the other pulled and rubbed her eyes before sitting up and looking at the woman.  
"What are you doing?" The blonde asked and took Regina's hand, inspecting it. "I don't think punching the wall is going to help you." She chuckled softly and Regina groaned.  
"Shut up..." She said softly and looked away while pulling her hand back.  
"I'm sorry for laughing..." Emma said and got up, giving the woman some space by sitting on the chair instead. Regina shook her head.  
"No, I have no right to be angry with you." She said and looked at the blonde. "It just annoys me that I can't remember anything!" She said suddenly, yelling in frustration. Emma was a little taken aback at first, but you can't suddenly erase someone's temper, memories or not.  
"I understand. It must be frustrating not knowing anything, especially about yourself."  
"Very much so... I want to remember but it won't come to me." She waved her hands around in frustration.  
"Perhaps it's because your trying too hard." Emma said softly and got up. "I'm going to have to head into town, get us some more supplies. I have enough supplies for one, but not for two so I'm going to have to get some more." She said and looked at Regina. "Why don't you come with me?"

Regina was silent for a while, clearly thinking about the offer in depth.  
"Will I be fine? I mean like... You hinted that a lot of people aren't really fond of me." The brunette picked at her dress a bit.  
"Well, perhaps we should give you a make over." Emma went over to a dresser and pulled out a riding outfit. "What about this? It will be comfortable. And if we maybe braid your hair and make it look different from your usual style, you'll blend in more." The blonde suggested.  
"Okay, lets try it. I'm getting tired of this dress." Regina said and got up and tried to reach for the lacing on the back to no avail. Emma watched her struggle for a few moments and then stopped her hands.  
"Let me help. I don't think you put this on by yourself." The blonde pulled on the lace and peeled the dress away from Regina's body. She winced as the bruises started to show on the woman's back. "Are you sure your back is fine?"  
"It's sore, but nothing I can't handle..." The brunette said and looked over her shoulder. "Why do you ask?"  
"There are large bruises on your back. It looks pretty bad." She said and helped push the dress down the woman's waist. Regina let her help her into the blouse since she couldn't move her arms back too far. Emma then left the woman to her own devices, starting to prepare some breakfast for them.

The brunette finished dressing and brushed her hair with a brush she borrowed from Emma. She tried to braid it, but with her shoulders and back being so sore, it was impossible for her to do so by herself. She gave up and went over to Emma.

"Can you help me with my hair?" Regina asked. Emma turned to the woman and looked at how her curls spilled down her shoulders. She smiled a little and tilted her head.  
"I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair down." The blonde said and nodded. "It suits you! Maybe we should leave it like this." She mused and moved behind the woman. She grabbed a few strands of hair from each side of her head and braided them together to make her look more like one of the peasant women. "I'm sure you will blend in just fine." She said as she tied it off. Regina looked at herself in the small mirror Emma owned and smiled slightly.  
"I look different than before at least." She said and followed Emma back to the kitchen area where she had prepared some breakfast.

Regina might not have been hungry yesterday, but she was sure feeling hungry now. She tore off a piece of bread and put some jam on it, munching it quickly.  
"You must be hungry huh." Emma said and chuckled softly. She sipped her tea and smiled. She took it as a good sign that the woman was craving food. The brunette blushed a little.  
"I'm sorry I just..."  
"No, please... Don't apologize. I'm just teasing. I'm glad you're finally eating. You refused to eat yesterday so I was a bit worried." Emma said honestly and scratched behind her ear. Regina stared at the woman and thought of something to say.  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." She said and fell silent.

"Let's just change the subject, shall we." Emma smiled and perked up a little for Regina's sake. "What do you like to eat?" She didn't realize how dumb that question was until she realised that the woman didn't have any memories.  
"I'm not sure... I like this though." She pointed at the jam.  
"Hmm so sweets are ok." Emma just went along with what the woman told her while inwardly slapping herself for even asking. "How about we go to the nearby market and you can see what you like or maybe even see if you remember some of the products." The blonde said and ate her share of bread. Regina held onto her cup of tea, letting it warm her hands as a smile slowly appeared on her face.  
"I'd like that. I suppose I will just have to learn what everything is slowly. I do know that this is bread." She pointed at it and held up her tea. "And this is tea... I know basic things it seems." Regina explained and sipped her tea carefully.  
"Well, it's a start." Emma smiled. The brunette nodded in agreement.

They finished their breakfast and got ready to go into town. Emma saddled her horse and Regina did the same. She did it without even batting an eye, knowing exactly how to get her horse ready.  
"I expected you to run into trouble here, but I suppose you must have been an avid rider if you know this much from muscle memory." Emma said and looked at Regina as she put the reigns on her horse.  
"I guess. I feel like I've known him for ages." She slid her hand over the horse's neck and patted it a few times.  
"What's his name?" Emma tried and Regina bit her lip, thinking really hard.  
"Onyx." She said softly and smiled as the horse responded, bowing to her. Regina slid her fingers through the horse's mane and seemed to really relax now that she was reacquainted with something she did know.  
"He's beautiful. He's actually the reason I found you." Emma said and moved to stand beside the woman.  
"How so?" She turned to look at Emma.  
"Well, he came to me... He was quite frazzled so I knew something was wrong. When I asked where his master was he seemed to know exactly what I meant so I let him guide me."  
"So that's how you found me..." Regina mused and looked at Onyx.  
"If it weren't for him, I think you might have been in big trouble. It was pretty cold yesterday after all." Emma said and Regina rubbed the horse's nose gently.  
"Thank you, Onyx. You're a good boy, aren't you."  
"He sure is. I'm sure he will take good care of you in the future." Emma smiled and moved to get on her horse. "Now, shall we get going?"  
"Of course." Regina got onto Onyx and grabbed the reigns like she has always done.  
"How about I race you." Emma smirked and Regina gasped.  
"I'm not sure if I should do that... My head still hurts a little and my back is a mess." The woman pointed out and Emma chuckled.  
"You have a point. It's just that seeing you on the horse like this, sitting all perfect and ready to go. I felt like a challenge." The blonde shrugged.  
"Well I'm glad you like my posture, but I'll race you, once I'm less sore." She said and moved the horse next to Emma's. "I'll except your challenge then." She smirked back and winked at the woman.  
"Oh you're on! When you feel better... We race!" She said and made the horse start walking. "For now, we go into town."  
"Is it far from here?" Regina asked and Emma shrugged.  
"It's about 30 minutes I guess."  
"You really do live in the middle of nowhere."  
"I like it that way. I don't get bothered usually." She said and bit her lip. "I suppose in a way I'm hiding." She explained.  
"Why is that?" The brunette rode beside the woman and looked at her.  
"I had a disagreement with my parents. I didn't want anything to do with them so I moved out here."  
"Must have been a serious argument then." Regina mused.  
"You can say that. I don't really want to talk about it. Sorry." The blonde said and smiled apologetically. "Maybe some day I'll tell you."  
"It's fine. You don't need to say anything. We only officially met yesterday. I hardly expect you to share your life story with me." Regina chuckled a little and Emma chuckled softly as well.  
"That sounds fair indeed. Not that my life story is that interesting if you ask me."  
"Well, it might be interesting to some people." The brunette smiled and looked around in the woods. She didn't recognize a thing and it was a little unnerving.

"Are you alright?" Emma asked and Regina nodded slowly.  
"Yeah... It's just... I don't know anything around here. I suppose I'm just nervous because it's all new to me. That combined with the fact I just don't remember anything of value."  
"Just relax, I'm here after all." Emma smiled.  
"I'm actually glad you found me."  
"Why is that?" Emma asked softly.  
"Because I can tell what you're thinking. You're easy to read and that is comforting in a way."

That statement made Emma laugh a little.  
"I don't think anyone has ever told me that before!" She said and looked at Regina and reached out, putting her hand gently on the woman's shoulder. "But thank you, I'll take it as a compliment."  
"It was intended as one! Why would you think it's anything else?"  
"Because the you from before yesterday would have probably meant it as a stabbing comment in order to make someone feel bad. Don't get me wrong but you weren't particularly nice."  
"So I've been told..." Regina said with a groan.  
"Hey, listen... Yesterday you got a new start... The Evil Queen is dead... You're Regina Mills now and that's that." Emma said and Regina smiled a little at the woman's sweet words.


	3. New Memories

Emma and Regina walked into the small town after leaving their horses at a stable at the edge of town. They walked towards the market together, Regina sticking close to the blonde as she was quite nervous seeing all these people here that might know her, or at least, who she was. She didn't feel confident about dealing with that.

Emma could tell Regina was nervous and uncomfortable. She gently put her hand on the woman's arm, grabbing her attention.  
"It'll be fine. I'm here." Emma smiled gently at her as she spoke. Regina bit her lip before smiling a little.  
"Sorry... I'm just afraid someone might know me." She spoke softly and looked at the hand that was on her arm. The blonde followed the woman's gaze and gasped.  
"I'm sorry." She said and pulled her hand back. Regina stopped her and instead took her hand.  
"No... I just..." Regina tried to form words and sighed in defeat before chuckling softly and looked up at the woman. "This helps." She said and moved closer, casually linking their arms. Emma looked at the woman and chuckled.  
"Very well." Emma smiled and bumped her shoulder against the other's gently. "Come on, let's go."

The two women went around the market, looking at all types of foods and even looked at some new clothes for Regina.  
"Are you sure this looks good on me?" The woman asked as she turned to look over her shoulder, trying to see the back of the riding coat she was wearing. It was nearly floor length in a beautiful aubergine colour. Emma smiled and nodded.  
"I think that colour looks beautiful on you." She said and looked at a few dresses that would match the coat. She pulled out a few dark shades like black and gray as well as a few lighter shades as cream and peach.  
"You don't want me to try on all of them I hope?" The brunette asked and Emma chuckled softly.  
"I want you to pick the ones you like most." She said and Regina looked at the dresses the blonde had selected for her. She slid her hand over the fabrics and put the coat next to the dress, trying to figure out what would look the best.  
"I think black looks nice with it." The words made Emma laugh softly.  
"What?" Regina asked and bit her lip.  
"It's a similar colour scheme as you used to wear." She said and bit her lip to stop a laugh from coming out. The brunette gasped and immediately took off the coat, seemingly offended by the fabric. Emma sighed and put her hand onto the woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry, please... Relax. You look good in them honestly. Even if you can't remember, I suppose preferences like that wouldn't change." The blonde said and smiled. Regina looked at the clothes the blonde was holding and sighed.  
"I want to change though... I don't want to be associated with something... Evil."

It was silent for a while and Emma put away the dark dresses and held the cream coloured one in front of the woman and made a face.   
"Honestly, it doesn't suit you." She said and Regina sighed.  
"Let's go back..." She said and turned away. Emma could tell Regina wasn't enjoying herself and quickly put away the dresses before following the woman who was making giant strides out of there, quickly ducking into one of the alleys.

"Regina, wait!" Emma reached out and stopped her in her tracks, holding onto her shoulder. The woman turned around, eyes filled with held back tears. The blonde gasped and pulled the woman further into the alley. "I'm sorry... Is it something I said?" Emma asked and the woman shook her head.  
"No... It's just that I'm constantly being reminded of the old me with every step I take. I'm afraid people will recognise me and I can't even pick a damn shade of dress without looking like  _her_  or looking like shit!" The woman was so incredibly frustrated and angry at herself, particularly her past self.

Emma slowly reached out and wiped away one of the tears that had fallen down the smaller woman's cheek. The blonde then closed the distance between her and Regina, wrapping her arms around the brunette. The woman softly cried into Emma's shoulder, letting her bottled up feelings spill out as she held onto the blonde. Emma let the woman cry and gently rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.

After a while the sobbing stopped and Regina slowly looked at up Emma with her red eyes. The blonde just wiped away the woman's tears and smiled.  
"It will be fine, I promise. Honestly, I think you're just fine the way you are. And if you want to wear black, then you should." Regina looked a little apprehensive at first but then nodded.  
"How about we settle for a dark red." Regina rubbed her eyes and smiled a little.  
"Red it is." Emma said and took the woman's hand, carefully guiding her back to the market and buying the dress with her. They gathered the food they needed as well and made their way back to the cabin.

Emma loaded the items onto her horse before getting on. Regina did the same and waited for Emma.  
"Let's go home." The blonde said as she headed out into the direction of the cabin. The brunette nodded and smiled gently.

~*~

Emma was preparing dinner while Regina took a dip in the nearby lake. She insisted it was fine like she had always bathed in the lake. The woman had set out with nothing more than a robe and a towel. Emma was slightly worried the woman might catch a cold and that she would have to take care of her like that on top of the amnesia.

The blonde knew that other than Regina's horse... They hadn't made a lot of progress in trying to regain her memory. In all honesty, Emma didn't want the woman to get her memory back, but she wasn't about to tell the other that. Regina without her memories was a nice person. Sure she was a little rough around the edges, but you could easily communicate with her without the fear of being set on fire or getting your heart ripped out. Emma dreaded the moment Regina would regain those memories, and that she would make it to the top of the woman's hit list since she saw her in such a vulnerable state. Emma knew she was just being silly. But deep down, she wanted Regina to stay the way she was now. Not only for Emma's sake, but for Regina's as well.

The brunette waded into the cold water and sat down. She was shivering a little as she sat in the late, stark naked. She found however that the cold helped her think. She closed her eyes and tried to focus. She focused on her horse and tried to remember really hard. Suddenly she saw flashes of what happened to her before she got knocked of the horse. It was just flurries of trees and bushes. It wasn't much more than that before it all went black. She figured that was the time she hit her head. She grabbed her head as it started to hurt again. Clearly her body didn't want to remember and instead forget the awful feeling she felt from before she got knocked off the horse.

The feeling of complete and utter abandonment and betrayal by her people.

Tears started to fall again. She quickly wiped them away and instead dove under water. She slicked back her hair and wiped her face as she came up again. She didn't want to be weak and therefore she had to stop crying. She took a deep but shaky breath and wrapped her arms around herself. The water had left her much colder than she anticipated. She got up out of the lake, shivering badly as she went to grab the towel she had taken with her. She dried herself off the best she could and put on the robe. She was still shivering quite a bit as she made her way back to the cabin.

Emma noticed the woman coming back as she looked through the window. She gasped as the woman had a bit blueish shade to her lips. She ran outside and grabbed the brunette, immediately taking her inside.  
"Regina... What were you thinking?! You're so cold." The blonde said and dragged the woman over to the fireplace, making her sit there and wrapping as many blankets around her as she could find.

Regina just kept silent and pulled the blankets around her shivering form. Emma moved to sit behind her and wrapped her arms and legs around the bundle, holding her close.  
"Why would you stay out there so long?" She asked and the brunette sighed softly.  
"Nobody wants me." She said simply. She tried to steel her face to keep herself from crying again, but Emma just squeezed her gently while holding her closer.  
"That's not true, because I'm still here." The blonde said and made Regina look at her. "So don't tell yourself these horrible things... I'm here for you until you decide you want to leave. I won't leave you to face all this by yourself. It's not fair."  
"But I felt it! Right before I got knocked off my horse... I felt it... No one wants me there. They all hate me."  
"I think what it is, is that you used to not care for it and now you do. That in itself does mean you've changed Regina. You're different from how you used to be. You do care about how people feel about you now." Emma said and moved the woman's wet mop of hair aside and pushed a few strands out of her face.  
"I don't want to feel like that again... It's painful." Regina said softly and looked down, turning to hide her face into Emma's shoulder. Emma gently rubbed the woman's back to comfort her.  
"You won't have to. You just simply take a different path, and you've already started."  
"What makes you say that?" Regina asked and looked up at the blonde.  
"I doubt the old Regina would have shared her feelings with anyone the way you're doing now." Emma pointed out and smiled. "It's a good thing though." She cut in before the woman had a chance to speak.  
"I guess I will take your word for it." The woman said softly and let herself rest against the blonde's chest, leeching heat from her body. Emma let her and held her tighter.  
"I guess dinner can wait a little while longer." She said softly and rested her head on top of Regina's.

They sat like that for a long time, neither of them saying anything, just comfortable being in each other's presence. Being extremely comfortable in Emma's arms, Regina slowly dozed off as she warmed up in the woman's hold, momentarily forgetting all of her problems.


	4. Future Memories

Two weeks have gone by since Emma had found Regina unconscious in the forest. The brunette had struggled with her past and present as she dreaded the stories about her before she lost her memories. They made her insecure as she didn't want to fall back into her old pattern. Luckily she had Emma by her side to guide her, to show her the right path.

It was currently snowing outside and the bitter cold had the two staying inside the cabin around the fire. Emma looked at Regina who was quietly reading one of Emma's old books she had lying around. She was wrapped in a blanket and leaned against the blonde's back while she was finishing up sowing a new comforter. The winter was brutally cold and required them to bundel up well and so Emma had started to make a new blanket, one that was thick and prepared for the winter cold. Regina had helped her make it. They took turns sowing and stuffing it after Emma taught her how.

Emma clipped the last wires and smiled when it was done. It was a patchwork comforter stuffed with sheep's wool. She slowly moved to get up and Regina gasped as she suddenly felt the movements as she was so engaged in the book. She caught herself just in time before she fell on her back and turned to look at Emma who just chuckled.  
"I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" She asked and Regina bit her lip before letting out an amused snort.  
"Guess I was far away." She said and looked at the blanket Emma was holding. "Did you finish it?" She asked and put the book aside before fully turning to the blonde. She nodded and held it up proudly.  
"What do you think?" She asked and Regina nodded in approval.  
"At least we will be warmer tonight." She mused and got up. She adjusted the blanket she held around herself a bit and moved closer to Emma. "Not that I dislike cuddling up..." She said and Emma chuckled.  
"I know what you mean." She said and moved to put the comforter on top of the bed. It instantly looked a lot more inviting and warm.

"I really think we should make this place a bit more airtight however." Regina eyed the holes in the wall and Emma chuckled.  
"I built this cabin in the summer with my bare hands! It wasn't much to begin with." She said and Regina shook her head.  
"If the snow stops falling tomorrow, we should head out and find any material to plug those holes... If we perhaps put straw in-between and smear it with something like clay, it would be properly fixed." She said and the blonde sighed.  
"Perhaps... We should just think about moving." The blonde said softly and sat on the bed. Regina frowned.  
"But why? This is your place... We can fix it up, we don't have to move." The brunette said, but her voice was tainted with nerves, telling the blonde there was something else than their shared hard work to make it a home behind it.  
"What is the real reason?" Emma asked and Regina stiffened before looking down.  
"I finally know this place... I know the nearby town... If we move, I have to start over. Again... And what if people recognise me at the new place?"  
"We could just move to the town." Emma suggested and Regina looked at the blonde.  
"But..."  
"You clearly like it there. You're getting along with a few of the women there which is great! So, why don't we go there? It will be easier to get supplies and you can make more friends while we live there."

That surely gave Regina something to think about.  
"You don't have to decide now, after all~ we barely finished our blanket. But give it some thought. I don't think it's wise if we stay here too long. The winter barely started and it's already this cold." Emma said. The brunette moved over to the bed and sat down next to Emma, leaning against her shoulder.  
"You're right. I'll think about it." She said and linked her arm with the blonde's. "We can always come back here when it warms up." She smiled a little and looked at Emma who nodded.  
"It's decided then?" She asked in confirmation and Regina nodded.

They were officially moving.

~*~

The next day the snowfall indeed had died down when the two had awakened. At first they were quite reluctant to leave the comfort of their bed, which had become particularly warm now that they had their new addition. It still didn't stop them from spooning for some extra warmth. Eventually Regina was the one to give in and get up, dragging Emma along so they could eat breakfast and head out to the town to look for a new home.

They had decided to ride on Onyx together as Regina's horse was large and strong and didn't have any problems with the thick snow beneath his hooves. At the same time, this way Emma could hold onto the brunette and keep a little warmer. Regina suspected the woman to be coming down with a cold, much like she had after her little encounter with the cold lake water. She could feel the woman shiver against her back as they rode towards the town. She took the woman's hands that were clasped in front of her stomach and made them grab the reigns before putting her own hands over them, sharing the heat of her palms. She gently squeezed the woman's hands and Emma nuzzled into her dark curls that spilled down Regina's shoulders.  
"Thanks." She said softly and sighed contently. Regina sped up the pace a little so they would get there faster.

When they rode into town, there were several fires burning with people gathered around them. They were all smiling and having a good time as they sipped their hot drinks or brandy. It seemed like these people weren't at all bothered by the cold. Emma slowly let herself slide off the horse and Regina followed suit.

"Oh, hello there." An older lady greeted them and smiled. "Did you two want some tea?" She offered and the both of them nodded eagerly. They were guided toward the fire and greeted with a cup of tea for each of them. Emma wrapped her hands around the cup and closed her eyes as it felt good.  
"You aren't from around here, are you..." A middle aged man smiled at them. Emma looked at the man and chuckled.  
"No... We're from further south. I had no idea it could get this cold here when I moved away!" She said and Regina just sipped her tea, letting Emma handle the conversation.  
"We are used to it by now... But it can be difficult if you don't have proper clothing or housing."  
"We lack both of those." Regina said and glanced at Emma. "She can cook but don't ask her to build a solid wall." She smirked a little and Emma gasped.  
"That's mean! Even after I took you in... So ungrateful~" She said and chuckled. They had found themselves bantering like this more often lately and it was all in good fun.  
"So what brings you here? The markets are closed for now since it's difficult for the merchants to come up here." The elderly lady spoke again.  
"We were actually looking for a new place to stay. My cabin is much too cold for this weather and it's not like we have the means to improve the situation at the moment." Emma explained and the man and woman nodded in understanding.  
"As it stands... Not a lot of people move here. They usually move further south, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find a new place. The woman said and looked around before apparently finding what she was looking for. She walked off and then took a young man along.

"Hello, I'm Frank. I deal with housing here." He introduced himself to the two women. "I hear you're looking for a place."  
"Yes, we are. It doesn't have to be much!" Regina said and looked at Emma. "We just want to be comfortable."  
"Understandable." The young man said and chuckled. "There are currently three houses unoccupied. We would love to expand our village with some new neighbors if you're interested in one of them." He said and the two women nodded eagerly. "Great! Why don't you finish your tea and I'll show you around!"

~*~

Emma and Regina huddled together more as they followed Frank around town. When they arrived at the first place, he turned towards them and smiled.  
"This is it." He said and pulled out a ring of keys from his pocket. He opened the door and let the two women inside. It was a lot warmer than the cabin already and there wasn't even a fire burning. It was a quaint little house with 2 separate rooms, a kitchen / living area and something that served for a bathroom area.

"Are all three places like this?" Emma asked as she looked around and Frank shrugged.  
"More or less. It's just in different parts of town. On does have a slight bit more space, but a family with children used to live there." He explained and Regina nodded slowly. She looked around as well and joined Emma in one of the rooms.  
"This is nice, isn't it?" The blonde asked and Regina nodded.  
"It's on the edge of town too, which is what I like about it." She said and the blonde put her hand on the brunette's arm.  
"You'll be fine." She said and rubbed her arm before she suddenly sneezed. Regina chuckled and shook her head.  
"See... You do have a cold. I told you this morning and you didn't listen to me."  
"Yeah well... I'm stubborn. Not unlike you at times."  
"I'm not stubborn. I'm opinionated." Regina said and Emma snorted a little.  
"What did I tell you." The blonde smirked. They both laughed softly as they stood there.

Then Frank joined them and smiled.  
"So ladies? Have you decided yet?" He asked and ruffled his dark blonde, curly hair a little.  
"I think it's perfect." Emma said and looked at Regina who nodded in agreement.  
"Excellent. Looks like we have new folks in town! Let me be the first to welcome you, and if you need anything... Ask anyone. We will be happy to help. We have a close community because of the weather. We always look out for each other." Frank said and handed the couple their key. "This will be yours then." He smiled and turned around to leave the two of them alone. "If you need help moving... Arthur and his wife have a nice and sturdy wagon. I'm sure they would love to help out if you asked them." He waved as took his leave.

Regina and Emma looked at each other and chuckled.  
"I think we will like it here." The blonde said and Regina chuckled.  
"Yes, they seem like nice people, don't they?" The brunette looked around the room again and then at Emma. "So, are we sleeping in separate rooms from now on?" She asked and the blonde shrugged.  
"I only own one bed, but if you want to we can get another one." Emma said but Regina shook her head.  
"I'm so used to it by now, I don't think I'd be able to sleep alone at this point." She whispered and Emma gently hugged her.  
"Then we will sleep together, like we always do."  
"Are you sure you don't mind. You don't have to give me everything I want you know." Regina looked at her seriously.  
"If I minded, I'd have made a second bed by now, don't you think?"

That gave Regina pause. She then nodded and smiled.  
"Okay, one bed." She said and then saw Emma shiver again. "We need to warm you up... You're just going to get more sick at this rate..."


	5. Fresh Memory

Emma was tucked in, lying in bed in their new house while Regina heated up some tea over the fire that was roaring in the fireplace.  
"I told you you were getting sick..." The brunette huffed a little while the blond just had a silly look on her face.  
"Nothing nurse Regina can't fix." She drawled and the woman shook her head. Regina poured them both a cup of tea and moved to sit down on the edge of the bed Emma was in.  
"Please get better soon." The brunette said softly and Emma took the cup gingerly from her.  
"I'll try." She smiled and held Regina's hand in her own. The woman squeezed it gently and slowly sipped her hot tea. Emma slid her hand out of Regina's and instead slid her hand onto the woman's thigh. The brunette looked at the hand and gently placed her own on top of it. They didn't say anything, but they both knew something that was left unspoken.

Emma turned on her side and sipped her tea properly. She purred softly and let the hot liquid soothe her throat and warm her body. She put the cup down on the bedside table and looked at Regina. The blonde sat up and patted the head side of the bed. Regina smiled a little and sighed, shaking her head before moving to sit on the bed while leaning against the headboard. Emma moved to lie her head on the woman's thighs, using them as a pillow. Regina petted the woman's hair while Emma pulled the blankets up again, covering them both as much as possible before grabbing a book from the bedside table and handing it to the brunette.  
"You're not going anywhere. So get comfy." Emma chuckled and Regina quirked an eyebrow.  
"Oh? So what about lunch?" She asked as she knew food was Emma's weakness.  
"I know you made soup... I'm not worried." She smirked and closed her eyes. "Besides... Weren't you telling me to rest a few hours ago?" She asked and Regina gasped. She kept her mouth shut and just flipped open the book while tangling her fingers into the curly, blonde hair. It wasn't like she disliked being where she was anyway. She was warm and comfortable and was provided with entertainment. She had no real reason to move. More importantly, she just wanted Emma to be comfortable and get some rest.

Regina knew the woman had slept terribly. She was awoken more than once last night by the restless blonde who was more than a little stir crazy. She didn't know why, but she figured it probably had something to do with her cold. The brunette sighed and sipped her tea again while slowly starting to read the book.

It was curious how the roles had reversed between them. Emma was usually the one taking care of her, and now, it was the other way around. She didn't hate it. In fact, she quite liked it. She vaguely knew that she used to never care for anybody as she had remembered a few things lately. Regina didn't tell Emma about the fact she was remembering bits and pieces. Mainly because she herself didn't want to acknowledge who she used to be. It pained her to know she was a cold hearted bitch. She had asked around and heard terrifying stories about the Evil Queen who ripped out hearts and scorched entire villages for the sake of revenge. She became afraid of herself. And so, she has denied her own memories, pushing them away.

Emma had been right, everyone was better off with the Evil Queen gone, especially herself as now, Regina didn't have to suffer and rot in some prison. She had found out about the coup that was staged against her and that's what had made her run away. She was glad to know the why, but she ignored all other information about herself, locking away those terrifying memories behind a thick door in her mind.

"Ouch..." Emma groaned and lifted the book from her face. "What did you do that for?" The blonde groaned and Regina gasped.  
"I'm sorry... I was lost in thought... I must have dropped the book."  
"At least you didn't douche me with tea." She said and pointed at the cup that was dangerously close to spilling. Regina righted the cup quickly and put it aside along with the book.  
"Sorry." She said and Emma shook her head. She turned over and looked up at Regina.  
"What were you thinking about?"  
"My past..." She said honestly and Emma sighed.  
"You shouldn't have asked around about yourself... I know you have."  
"It's because you didn't want to tell me anything." Regina defended herself. Emma sighed.  
"I think you know why though." She said and the brunette nodded slowly.  
"Yes, I know why... But still." She sighed and Emma reached up and cupped the woman's cheek. Regina leaned into the warm hand and closed her eyes.  
"Stop thinking about it... That's not you anymore. You'll agree with me on that right?" Emma asked and the brunette nodded, looking at the blonde.  
"Yeah, I do..."  
"Then forget about it and crawl in with me. You seem as tired as I am..." The blonde chuckled.  
"You're the one who kept me up all night!" Regina groaned before a silence hung between them.  
"I'm sorry." Emma said softly and Regina quickly shook her head.  
"No..." She sighed and rubbed her face. "I didn't mean it that way." She then wriggled around and moved to lie beside the woman, adjusting the pillow so they could both lay their head on it as she wrapped her arms around the other woman's waist.

"You were stirring a lot last night... It woke me." She said softly and Emma just nuzzled into the woman's chest.  
"I'm sorry. It's difficult for me to sleep in new places. Other than my parents house I never stayed anywhere else and it keeps me up at night... I didn't sleep well for days when I first moved out." She explained and bit her lip. "God, I must sound pathetic..." She said and Regina chuckled.  
"I'm sure if it wasn't for the fact my head hurt so much... That I would have been much the same when I first got to the cabin." She said and looked at the blonde. "But now, I don't care... Because as long as we have each other, I'm sure I'll sleep just fine." She said softly and closed her eyes. She didn't see how Emma's eyes started to shine as she knew what the other meant, but it didn't matter. Emma just nuzzled further into the woman and sighed.  
"I'm so tired right now..." She groaned and let herself drift off. Regina smiled as she felt the woman's arms around her. It made her feel safe. And that was all she needed.

~*~

Emma actually woke before Regina did. She stretched her body before looking up at the woman's face. She smiled at the woman and gently cupped her cheek as she admired her beauty. The blonde sighed and closed her eyes, nuzzling back into the woman's chest and wrapping her arms around the brunette. She got comfortable again and held onto the back of the woman's dress, curling her fingers into it. She closed her eyes again while softly sighing in contentment. Regina woke up from the slight stirring and looked down at the content blonde. She moved a little to get more comfortable and petted the blonde hair gently. Emma looked up at the other and smiled gently. Regina smiled back sleepily and curled her fingers into the soft, golden curls. The blonde purred softly at the gentle gesture and held onto the other a little tighter. The brunette in return rested her forehead against Emma's and cupped her face gently.

It was clear that the brunette was still hazy from sleep, because she probably never would have done this with her full consciousness in place. She leaned in slowly, their lips barely touching at first, but then Regina pressed them together fully. As she did so, Emma held her a little tighter and returned the kiss.

There was an undeniable attraction between the two of them and they both knew it. Neither of them had decided to act on it since it just didn't seem proper. They were friends after all, good friends after all that had happened. They had both wanted to do it, but they were both afraid of the consequences.

Regina pulled back slowly and gasped softly. She suddenly was fully awake and her first instinct was to flee. She had done something she shouldn't have. The magic that was between them, their friendship, was surely broken now and all that was left for her was rejection. But before she could even get up and make it out of the bed, Emma held onto the woman tighter and prevented her from escaping by moving to lie on top of her gently. Regina gasped and pushed at Emma's shoulders.  
"Let me go... This was a mistake. I'm sorry..." She said and Emma effectively shut her up by kissing her again.

They were both completely awake now. Regina looked at the blonde with wide eyes and bit her lip.  
"Please don't run... You're the best thing that happened to me in my life." The blonde said softly and put their foreheads together while gently cupping her cheek. Regina closed her eyes and sighed, a few tears escaping.  
"How can it? I'm the Evil Queen, aren't I? Am I not absolutely revolting to you? The things I have done... Even I disgust myself!" The brunette said and more tears spilled, but Emma didn't budge. She looked at the woman and kissed her lips again, stopping the waterfall of words coming from her mouth.  
"That's not you anymore. You're Regina, just Regina... And I like you... I like the new you." Emma said clearly and looked into the woman's eyes.

It was silent for a while between the two of them. The blonde wiped away the woman's tears and just moved to hug her. Regina gave in and held onto the woman tightly, knowing that this was right, because it felt right. Emma slowly rolled them over so that Regina was on top. She petted the woman's hair and looked up at her as Regina leaned on her arms to look down at the blonde. Emma smiled gently and tucked a strand of hair behind the woman's ear.  
"Please don't run away..." Emma said, but she didn't hold onto the woman either to keep her from running. Regina let her head hang and just moved to lie down on top of the blonde slowly.  
"I think I'm done running." She said softly and Emma smiled.  
"Good, because I doubt I could catch up... I'm sick after all." She groaned a little and Regina chuckled.  
"You're terrible..." She said and slowly got up. "You should eat... I'll heat up the soup." She said and slid out of the bed, tucking Emma back in properly.  
"Don't sneak out of the house ok..." The blonde said and Regina shook her head.  
"I'm done running Emma..." She repeated and left the room to heat up the soup. She tossed a few logs on the fire, restoring it to its former glory before wiping at her face. She must have looked awful she figured, but Emma never once let her go. Perhaps, this is the real deal... She figured and looked at the door to the bedroom where Emma lies. She sniffled and took a deep breath before arranging her hair back into a decent state and smoothing out her dress.

It might be difficult, but it's worth it. She told herself and smiled a little.


	6. A New Chapter

"What are you doing?" Regina asked as she heard repeated scratching over paper. She didn't look up, but she knew the woman's eyes had been on her the entire time. Emma let out a soft laugh and kept sketching quietly.

Regina looked up slowly and bit her lip. She looked at the blonde suspiciously and wanted to get up. She put the book aside, but Emma gasped and stopped her.  
"Please don't move..." She said and the brunette frowned a little.  
"Okaaay..." She said slowly and grabbed her book again, resuming her previous position. Emma smiled a little as Regina posed for her again. She took up her pencil once more and started drawing. The brunette glanced over at Emma and smiled slightly.  
"Are you drawing me?" She asked with a light blush staining her cheeks and the blonde smirked a little.  
"Maybe." The woman smiled mysteriously and kept on drawing. Regina shook her head a little and just kept on reading. She would indulge the blonde for now, she just hoped she wouldn't end up looking like a dragon. She had no idea how well Emma could draw, which also made her incredibly curious. It was getting harder and harder to focus on her book before she eventually gave up and put it down.

"Show me..." Regina demanded softly. Emma chuckled and shook her head. The brunette groaned before smirking evilly. "I'll move if you don't." She said and the blonde pouted.  
"Fine... But don't laugh OK... I'm trying really hard." She said and moved to sit next to Regina on the couch. She held out the sketchpad to the woman and blushed.

Regina slowly took the sketchpad from the blonde and looked at the beautiful drawing. It was indeed her casually reading on the couch and it actually was quite detailed. Sure, it wasn't finished but it was quite beautiful. The brunette blushed and looked at Emma slowly.  
"You're really good at this!" She said and Emma bit her lip.  
"You really think so?" Emma asked and looked into Regina's eyes. The brunette smiled softly and leaned in slowly, pulling Emma closer by the collar of her blouse before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. The blonde smiled into the kiss and cupped the woman's cheek gently. She pulled back after a little while and took back the sketching pad.  
"Let me finish this for you." Emma said and went back to her chair. Regina nodded and smiled. She sat back again, similarly to how she sat before so Emma could finish her drawing. She was quite excited for it, especially since she never had anyone draw her, at least as far as she could remember.

Eventually the blonde put her sketchpad to the side and stretched her body. She smiled and got up before leaning over the brunette, kissing her softly. Regina put her book down and purred softly.

Since Regina's sleepy kiss with Emma, the two have gotten closer in the last few weeks. It never went beyond cuddling and sweet kisses. They were comfortable like that and not rushing into anything. Regina especially was really nervous about getting intimate even if she did initiate the first kiss. Emma didn't mind it however and let Regina set the pace for the both of them.

The blonde moved to straddle Regina and wrapped her arms around the woman's shoulders, kissing her slowly. The brunette put her hands on the woman's hips and purred softly, smiling into the kiss. The blonde pulled back from the kiss but hugged the woman gently. Regina used her wool shawl to wrap it around the both of them, hugging the blonde closely. They sat like that for a while with Emma nuzzled into the brunette's neck.

Regina looked up at the blonde and smiled.  
"I want to go out... Let's ride. I know it's cold, but I need to get the hell out of this house." She said and Emma chuckled softly.  
"Then, let's go riding." The blonde said and got up, pulling the brunette along. "How about we ride together on Onyx? You're the better rider out of both of us anyway." The blonde said and Regina smirked.  
"You're just saying that so you can cling to me!" The brunette shook her head and Emma gasped.  
"I do not!" She defended herself before chuckling softly. "OK, maybe I do want to stick close and not freeze to death." She said and grinned. Regina wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck and held her in a headlock, laughing softly while dragging her along to change into something warmer.

~*~

Regina and Emma were charging through the forest on top of Onyx. The snow luckily had melted but the ground was still frozen solid. The blonde held onto Regina tightly and looked over her shoulder as they rode through the forest. The brunette didn't hold back and rode as fast as Onyx allowed her to get through the forest. They eventually reached a clearing and Regina slowed down the pace before coming to a halt.  
"Amazing..." Emma said as she looked around and beheld the frozen trees and lake. Everything was looking magical and very beautiful as the sun's rays reflected off the crystallised ice.  
"It's stunning..." Regina said and looked over her shoulder at Emma. The blonde smiled at her and kissed her cheek.  
"This was a good idea..." She said and held the brunette a little tighter around her waist. Regina smiled and nodded. She looked around a little longer and then got an idea. The brunette threw her leg over the horse's neck and slid off before going over to the lake, threading carefully before turning to look at Emma with a twinkle in her eyes. She started to sort of ice skate on her shoes and the blonde just laughed. She took the reigns of Onyx and moved a little closer.  
"What are you doing, young lady?" The blonde asked with a smirk and Regina shrugged.  
"Having a little fun~" She said and slowly slid closer. "Come on and join me." She said and beckoned Emma to come over.  
"I'm sorry. When I was little the ice cracked and I fell into the freezing water. Ever since then, I'm afraid I've been a bit apprehensive of ice..." The blonde explained and Regina shrugged. She walked back onto the grass and looked up at Emma.  
"Doesn't matter, we will find something we can do together." She smiled sweetly and Emma held out her hand, helping Regina back on the horse. Regina moved to sit behind her this time and smirked.  
"You take us back." She said and Emma pouted.  
"What if my hands freeze off?!" She asked and the brunette chortled.  
"Fine, move forward..." She shoved the blonde further forward using her hips and took the reigns from behind the woman. Emma leaned back into her and chuckled softly as she got what she wanted anyway.

~*~

Regina and Emma rode into town and went to the small tavern. They walked into the cosy little tavern, immediately getting close to the fireplace and sitting down, huddling together. Frank was there as well and waved at the couple. Emma waved back and Regina blushed a little, putting a slight space between her and the blonde.

Frank got up and moved over to the pair.  
"Hey there you two. I haven't seen you in here before." He said and smiled gently.  
"We haven't really gone out much. It's really cold out here." Emma said and Regina chuckled.  
"More like, she's been sick and I've been too busy caring of her. But she's better now and I was really done being cooped up in the house." She chuckled.

Arthur then came over and smiled.  
"What can I get you?" He asked and looked at the two ladies. Regina looked at the man and chuckled.  
"I didn't know you owned the tavern." The man held his hands up.   
"It belongs to Trish. I just help out." The man said and then pointed at his wife, the elderly lady. She waved and went to serve one of the burly men at the bar. Emma smiled and looked up at Arthur.  
"I think we both would love some wine." Regina said and looked at Emma. She nodded and bumped her shoulder against the brunette's. Arthur went to get their order and Frank smiled at them.  
"Do you like your new house?" He asked the two women and tilted his head.  
"I'm just glad it's not stone cold in there." Emma snorted and Regina chuckled softly.  
"Which was entirely your own fault for not making solid walls in the cabin to begin with." She said and looked at Emma. "But it is really nice to have a proper home." She added. The blonde nodded in agreement and took Regina's hand gently in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze.  
"It's good to hear you are enjoying living here!" The man said enthusiastically and got up. "I'll leave you two to it. Just wanted to say 'hi'." He smiled and left.

The brunette leaned against Emma a little and closed her eyes for a moment as she rested her head on the woman's shoulder.  
"It's nice here..." She said softly and Emma purred.  
"I think we made the right choice to move here... Even if it is cold like hell froze over..." Both women laughed and Regina nodded.  
"Yeah, but apparently hell still has wine, so I'm not about to complain." She said as Trish came over with the wine.  
"Here you are ladies~ Enjoy." She said and left again. Emma and Regina grabbed their goblets and made a toast.  
"To this cold ass hell." Emma grinned.  
"That it may always serve wine." Regina smirked and sipped her drink.

~*~

Emma chuckled as she pulled the brunette along. It didn't go very fast as Regina had one too many goblets of wine at the tavern. The blonde was holding the reigns of Onyx in one hand while using her other arm to keep the brunette upright by holding her around her waist.  
"Emma~ I can walk on my own just fine~" The woman drawled and leaned against the blonde more, causing them to tumble into the horse. The blonde sighed and Regina chuckled a little. "Sorry~" She said and mewled softly.  
"Clearly, you can walk on your own..." Emma smirked and shook her head a little. She looked ahead and was glad they could already see their house. "Come on... Let's get you to bed already."

A few moments later, Emma opened the door to the house again. She had dropped Regina off first before getting Onyx back in his stable. When the blonde wandered into the bedroom, the brunette was half naked and stuck in her dress as she tried to pull it over her head. The blonde laughed behind her hand as the other woman struggled and tripped on the hem of the dress, falling right on the bed with a yelp. Regina whined and squirmed as she tried to get out of the garment but was unsuccessful in her endeavour. Emma walked over and put her hand on the woman's back, letting her know she was there.  
"Lay still..." She said and pulled the skirt back down, untying the dress properly and pulling it over her head. Regina looked a little disgruntled when she was finally released from the fabric.  
"It didn't want to let me go." She said and Emma chuckled.  
"If you don't untie it properly, no... It won't." She chuckled and looked at the now naked woman, save for her panties. Emma swallowed softly and bit her lip. "Maybe you should put on your nightgown." She suggested, but Regina had a different plan and just crawled into bed like that.  
"Too warm, I'll just sleep like this!" She said and the blonde bit her lip. They were taking this whole relationship thing one step at the time, but Regina was now throwing caution to the wind as she was drunk and tempted the blonde with her body. Emma wasn't sure if the brunette was doing this or purpose or if she was truly so drunk that she didn't care, but it was surely problematic as it made things stir inside of her.


	7. Returning Memories

Emma was making breakfast when Regina woke up with a splitting headache. She groaned and closed her eyes tightly after looking at the first rays of the morning light and finding them to be absolutely unbearable right now. She curled up into a ball and pulled the blankets over her head while rubbing her temples.  
"What did I do to deserve this..." She groaned and buried her head in the pillow. Nothing she did made the pain go away, so eventually she just accepted it, sighing and trying to open her eyes again. The dim light was a lot better, but it still wasn't quite pleasant. The darkness was comforting however, the familiarity of it. That's when it hit her full force, making her cry out and hiss in pain as suddenly her head hurt even worse. The memories of her old life returning to her and playing like a never ending movie in rapid succession.

Emma ran into the bedroom and kneeled next to the bed, carefully peeking under the blanket.  
"Are you ok?" She asked softly. She was panicking, but she didn't want to overwhelm the brunette who seemed to be having it even worse. Regina curled up even more until it eventually stopped. She gasped and slowly looked at her, tears spilling from her eyes.  
"It hurts..." She said and sobbed even more. Emma let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and crawled under the blanket with the woman, holding her close. Regina curled her fingers into the dress Emma was wearing and held into her tightly as the blonde's presence grounded her and calmed her down.  
"Is it your head?" Emma asked and the brunette bit her lip.

She was afraid... Now that she knew exactly who she was and what she went through, she didn't want to be abandoned again now that she had regained all of her memories. What hurt so much right now wasn't her head. It was her heart. The crushing pain she had always felt in that familiar darkness she called her own was for the love she lost. This time it was slightly different however, since now there was light at the end of that pitch black tunnel. It was bright and beautiful like the sun... It was something she hadn't seen in a long time. It was hope. There was one person that did love her, and that person was the one who was holding her so closely right now, rubbing her back and massaging her scalp ever so gently.  
"Yes... My head." She whimpered. It was not a complete lie at least. She held on a little tighter and hid her face in Emma's neck. The blonde let her and relaxed a little.  
"I made breakfast... I'm sure you will feel better after having a bite to eat and a hot cup of tea." She said and the brunette slowly nodded, but she didn't pull back just yet. She wiped away her tears slowly and took a deep breath. 

Regina wasn't used to showing weakness in front of others, but since she started living with Emma, she had shown her nothing but weakness. She bit her lip and looked up at the blonde who smiled gently at her.  
"Is it OK if I pull the blanket down now?" Emma asked and Regina nodded carefully. She squinted as the light hurt her eyes again, but she quickly got used to it. "Much better." Emma said and cupped the woman's cheek. "Stay here... I'll go get our breakfast." The blonde leaned in and kissed Regina's forehead gently before crawling out of bed to do just that.

Regina slowly looked down at herself as a shiver went down her spine and gasped when she saw she was naked.  
"Hell no." She said softly and grabbed the nearest piece of clothing she could find, which was yesterday's dress. She winced inwardly at the style but she figured that her old attire wouldn't really be inconspicuous.

There were some things that she would need to get used to now that her memories were in conflict with each other. She was fully aware that the person she had shared the bed with for the last couple of months was none other than Snow White's daughter. The irony that she just had to fall in love with the offspring of the one that crushed her chance of happiness wasn't lost on her. She grumbled as she struggled with the dress before simply giving up. Emma came back and smiled at her.  
"Here we are~ breakfast in bed." She said and looked at the woman in bed with her chest completely bare, her beautiful breasts caressed by the rays of the sun. The blonde blushed deeply and looked away. Regina followed her gaze and chuckled softly.  
"My fault for getting in bed naked I guess." She mused and held up the dress. "I wanted to put it on but... It still has some struggle left in it." She said as she vaguely remembered last night. Emma set down the tray and took the dress from Regina and sniffed it.  
"It smells like tavern..." She said and chucked it aside before pulling out a different one from the closet and handed it to the brunette. Regina took a look at the new dress that was a sky blue and smiled a little, remembering how she used to wear these light colors. Another shiver reminded her she was naked and quickly shrugged the dress on, which was slightly easier to do than the other one, and looked up at Emma with a slight smile.  
"Thank you." She said and moved over a little in the bed so the blonde could sit as well. Emma joined her and set the tray in her lap.  
"Let's eat."

~*~

In the afternoon, Regina had gone out for a walk. She had told Emma that the fresh air would do her good and that she would be fine on her own. There was no need for the blonde to get cold as well. Thing was, Regina just wanted to be alone, to figure out her next move. She walked into the forest where she would be completely alone and leaned against one of the trees, looking up at the white sky that threatened to cover the earth with a fresh layer of powder.

What was she going to do now that she had regained her memories once more. After all, she is the Evil Queen! She was used to getting what she wanted by spreading fear and killing people if needed, yet she had lived in peace and was quite happy since the day she ran away and hit her head. It was confusing to live a life that was nothing like the old one and then remembering who you really are. There was a turmoil inside of her that made her feel queasy. She didn't want to be some lowly peasant for the rest of her life, but on the other hand, she didn't want to go back to her kingdom either. She wasn't particularly popular there, after all. 

Even if she wouldn't have given a damn before, things had changed in her... Emma changed her. She smiled fondly as she thought of the blonde and bit her lip. There was no denying that she is extremely attracted to the blonde. She had noticed her before when she would occasionally terrorise Snow White and Prince Charming by just barging into the castle and cause a little mayhem. Emma had always stood out to her. Perhaps that's why she's with her now, she had always known in some way that they belong together.

Suddenly, she heard a twig snap. Regina turned around quickly and summoned a fireball to arm herself in case she needed to defend herself. She then saw it was just a deer. The brunette looked at her hand and quickly extinguished the fire.  
"No more magic... I can't be found out." She told herself and took a deep breath. "You got a new chance Regina. A fresh start... So take it!" She added and looked at the deer as it looked at her before slowly walking away. Regina turned around as well and decided to go back home. She knew what she needed to do, and that was making sure there was no going back for her, just moving on.

Emma smiled at Regina as she got home, looking up from her drawing.   
"Welcome back. Did it help? Your walk." She asked and Regina quickly closed the door and nodded, shrugging off her coat.  
"Yes, it did actually. I feel much better." She smiled and moved closer to Emma, leaning over the back of the chair to see what she was working on. It was a drawing of the fireplace with a roaring fire.  
"Been busy I see." The brunette said and wrapped her arms around Emma, feeling the blonde's heat seep into her skin, making her shiver in delight. Emma smiled and looked up at her.  
"It's just something to pass the time... I didn't have a willing model, so..." She chuckled a little and looked up at the brunette.  
"Well, perhaps later." Regina smiled and slowly leaned in to kiss Emma softly on her lips, taking her time to press them fully together and tangling her hand into the soft, golden curls.  
"Hmmm, not that I'm complaining, but where did that come from?" Emma asked and turned to Regina who was smiling gently.  
"Well, I have decided that sometimes you have to run before you can walk... And the one thing that I'm sure about right now, is you." She said and moved to sit in Emma's lap after taking away her sketchpad. The blonde smirked a little and set her hands on Regina's hips.  
"Hmm, so what does that mean exactly?" She asked while she knew where this was going. She didn't mind it at all since the one thing she was sure about as well is the fact she loves this woman to pieces, even if she was the Evil Queen. She has seen a side of her that no one has ever seen and that was her humanity. She is just like everyone else, but so beautiful and loving, and perhaps a little scared of those feelings, but that's what made her so beautiful. Her vulnerability.

"I want to be with you, Emma." Regina said and leaned in slowly to kiss the blonde. Emma pulled the woman further into her lap and closed the gap between them, kissing her deeply.  
"So do I..." The blonde whispered between them after their kiss ended and quickly claimed those luscious lips again.

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's neck and pressed her hips against the other's, straddling her properly in the chair. The blonde's hands that were on Regina's hips slowly moved and slid over the woman's backside, grabbing her ass and squeezing it a little. The brunette purred softly and slid her hands over the woman's chest, gently groping Emma's breasts through the fabric of her dress, making her arch into the massaging hands.  
"Mmm~" Emma purred and leaned in, licking over Regina's lips before pulling back from the kiss to speak. "Maybe we should move..." The blonde suggested. Regina smirked a little and got up.  
"Come and get me..." She said and walked backwards to the bedroom, beckoning the woman to follow her. Emma looked at her and groaned, jumping up from the chair and rushing over to the brunette, pushing her into the bedroom and pinning her to the bed.

Regina yelped as she was pushed down and grinned up at Emma, licking her lips as she looked up at the beautiful blonde.  
"Come on then~" She taunted the woman and the blonde groaned. She leaned down and licked over the woman's neck before biting down on the skin, making Regina moan softly. The brunette slid her hands over Emma's back and wrapped her legs around Emma as she held her close.  
"That's it~ make me yours." She whispered. Emma started to hitch the woman's skirt up and slid her hands over the brunette's legs, grabbing her hips while moving to kiss her lips.  
"Regina..." She whispered between their lips and looked into the woman's beautiful hazel eyes.

"I love you... More than anything."


	8. Sensual Memories

_Regina yelped as she was pushed down and grinned up at Emma, licking her lips as she looked up at the beautiful blonde._   
_"Come on then~" She taunted the woman and the blonde groaned. She leaned down and licked over the woman's neck before biting down on the skin, making Regina moan softly. The brunette slid her hands over Emma's back and wrapped her legs around Emma as she held her close._   
_"That's it~ make me yours." She whispered. Emma started to hitch the woman's skirt up and slid her hands over the brunette's legs, grabbing her hips while moving to kiss her lips._   
_"Regina..." She whispered between their lips and looked into the woman's beautiful hazel eyes._

"I love you... More than anything." Emma said and looked deeply into Regina's eyes. The brunette smiled slightly and her eyes watered a little as she leaned in and captured Emma's lips with her own before whispering softly.  
"I love you too, Emma." She said and held the woman tightly as they kissed again, the blonde smiling into the kiss. 

Emma slid her hands over the woman's sides holding her waist as they kissed. The brunette slowly wrapped her legs tighter around the blonde and drew her in closer while sliding her hands into the golden locks, curling her fingers around the silken strands. The blonde moved to lie on top of Regina properly and slowly deepened the kiss. The brunette moaned softly and released the woman's hair, sliding her hands down Emma's back and pulling on the lacing in the back of her dress, trying to take it off.

The blonde pulled back from the kiss and chuckled softly.  
"You're being quite impatient." She said and hazel eyes looked up at her.  
"Say's the one with her hands up my skirt." Regina smirked a little and bit her lip as those hands gently tickled her sides, making her squirm slightly and giggle softly. "Don't do that~"  
Emma smiled and stopped tickling her before she leaned down, kissing over Regina's neck and slowly started to push her dress up more. The blonde sat up a little and pulled the brunette along, looking into her eyes as Emma moved to take the woman's dress off. Regina slowly raised her arms and let the blonde remove the fabric from her body. She looked into Emma's eyes and saw the love and dedication they held for her. Emma threw the dress aside and cupped Regina's cheek before leaning in once more, kissing her softly yet deeply. The brunette wrapped her arms around Emma's neck and held her closer. The blonde moved to sit in the other's lap and leaned forward more as Regina's fingers pried open Emma's dress even further, pulling at the lacing until she could pull the front of it down, liberating the younger woman's breasts and sliding her hands over the supple flesh. Emma purred softly and arched into the gentle touch. Regina watched the woman closely, enjoying her reactions as she caressed and teased her. When her hands reached the blonde's waist, she took hold of the remaining fabric and pushed it down Emma's lean body. Emma purred and repositioned herself a little, connecting their bodies. She cupped the former Queen's cheeks and looked into her eyes deeply.  
"I'm going to make love to you like you've never felt before..."

~*~

The next morning, Regina woke up to the feeling of soft hands lazily drawing figures on her back. She shivered a little as it felt good and cracked open her eyes slowly, immediately locking gazes with green pools as the blonde had been watching her. Emma smiled and leaned in.  
"Good morning." She whispered over the brunette's lips with a smile. Regina kissed the woman softly and chuckled.  
"Good morning." She repeated after the other and moved to lie her head back onto Emma's chest. She had been sleeping on top of Emma, between the blonde's legs and had her arms wrapped around the warm body that made her feel safe since the day her new life started.

Even if Regina remembered everything now, she knew she had never felt like this in her life. It only confirmed for her how much she wanted this, to be with Emma and to never let her go. Royalty be damned... Being free was so much better.

Emma rubbed her hands over the Queen's back some more and purred.  
"What are you thinking about?" She asked as she could tell the other's mind was clearly somewhere else.  
"You and me... And how our bodies mold so perfectly together." Regina said and turned to look at Emma again. "I've never felt anything like what you did to me last night..." She said softly and blushed a little. "Never even occurred to me you could do some of those things." She admitted and laughed softly. "Not that I'm complaining." She added and the blonde chuckled, pushing a strand of hair behind the woman's ear.  
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I know I sure did~" The woman purred before smiling gently.

"You're so beautiful when you let go of everything and just... feel." It was nothing more than a whisper. Emma cupped Regina's cheeks and kissed her lips ever so softly. The brunette returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist a little tighter, purring softly as they lay like that and kissed for the longest time until eventually it became hard to breathe and they had to part their passionate kiss. As Regina pulled back, her hair spilled down and framed her head even if it was an utter mess. Emma looked up at her lovingly and smiled brightly, watching as the sun filtered through the messy, dark locks beautifully.  
"You are so incredibly beautiful..." She said softly and admired the former Queen. The blonde's words made the older woman blush a little and chuckled softly. It was strange for the woman to receive such a sincere compliment that she was unsure of how to respond, so she leaned down slowly and kissed the woman again, briefly.  
"Thank you." She whispered as she pulled back and slowly moved to lie beside Emma. She propped her head up on her arm after tossing all her hair back and looked at the former princess, slowly cupping her cheek and caressing her skin, slowly going down her neck and clavicle, tracing the woman's curves with her fingers. The gentle touch made Emma shiver a little and slowly moved to lie on her side, facing Regina before pulling her flush against her naked body, kissing her deeply once more.

~*~

Emma looked at the brunette as she moved around the house with only a blanket loosely wrapped around her body to fend off the cold as she renewed the fire by throwing some logs on the smouldering remains in the fireplace and poking it a little.

"You seem to have a knack for setting fire no matter the circumstances." Emma joked as she watched the fire lick at the logs and grow once more. Regina looked at the blonde and smirked.  
"I suppose my past was good for something." She shot back and moved over to the woman who was already dressed again, kissing her softly. "Now, peasant. Make me some food, I'm hungry." She smirked and Emma laughed softly.  
"Yes, your Majesty."

As the blonde started to prepare some food, Regina went back into the bedroom and changed from the sheet to some actual clothes, deciding to go with her riding clothes as she wanted to go out for a ride today.

"Taking Onyx out today?" Emma asked as the woman went to sit in their living room once again.  
"Perhaps you want to come along?" The brunette asked and Emma shrugged.  
"Maybe, only if you're riding." She chuckled and Regina shook her head.  
"I can't believe how much you dislike the cold. I nearly died from it yet it doesn't stop me from going back out." Regina smirked at the blonde. Emma groaned a little and moved closer to the brunette.  
"The only reason why I like cold is the fact it allows me to cuddle up to you." The blonde purred and wrapped her arms around Regina's waist, kissing her neck. The brunette giggled softly.  
"Is that so~?" She slid her hands over the woman's waist as well and held her tighter.  
"Yes~" Emma whispered into the woman's ear and nibbled it. "I'll show you exactly how I want to cuddle up to you." The blonde said softly and slowly pushed the brunette up against the wall using her body. Regina slid her hands up the woman's back and laced her fingers into the blonde locks, pulling her head back slightly so she could kiss over the woman's throat.  
"I think you and I have a different idea of what cuddles are, but I'm surely not opposing." The former Queen purred and kissed over the blonde's clavicle while pulling on the lacing in the back of the dress she was wearing. Emma arched her head back and held Regina closer as the shorter woman took control over the situation. The blonde shivered as she felt the fabric of her dress part. She only pulled back to let the fabric drop onto the floor. Regina smirked as they looked into each other's eyes before leaning in to suck on Emma's perky nipple. She slid her arm around the woman's waist, pulling her flush against her body while using her free hand to tease the other nipple. Emma moaned hotly and slid her hands into the soft, brown hair.  
  
"Shit..." Emma cursed and arched into the teasing mouth and fingers. She groaned as she felt herself getting wet again. "Regina..." She moaned as the woman sucked harder on her erect nipple, that teasing tongue swirling over the sensitive skin. The brunette slid her hand down the blonde's body and slid her fingers teasingly over the woman's lower lips.  
"You didn't even bother to put on any panties hmm." Regina purred and kissed her way back to Emma's lips. The blonde cupped the woman's cheeks and kissed her deeply.  
"Don't tease..." She breathed hotly as those fingers slowly started gliding between the wet lips, gathering the slick wetness and spreading it all over, the fingers ghosting over her entrance and clit teasingly.  
"Why can't I tease?" Regina smirked and licked over Emma's lips. "It's the most fun part after all." She said and circled a finger around the woman's clit.  
"Please..." The woman breathed and looked deeply in those beautiful hazel eyes that looked at her with obvious excitement and desire. Regina licked her own lips and bit it briefly.  
"Very well." She said and slowly started to tease Emma's clit, making the woman moan louder. Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's neck again, her hips jerking as it felt good to be touched like that. She let her head fall back and moaned even louder as those longer, slender fingers found their way inside of her hot and dripping wet core.  
"Yes~" She groaned and moved her hips onto the invading digits. Regina purred and kissed over the woman's neck, gently nibbling the skin there as she thrusted her fingers inside of the woman's body. She moved them around swiftly, pushing the woman against the wall as she thrusted faster, making the woman moan repeatedly.

"Regina, please~" She held onto the woman tightly as she was getting closer to her orgasm. The brunette gently sucked on the skin of Emma's neck, her free hand sliding over the woman's body, her nails gently scratching the skin. All of the sensations drove Emma crazy, pushing her over the edge with a loud groan. The blonde's eyes were closed as she enjoyed the high of orgasm, panting to catch her breathe. Regina pulled her fingers back and admired the blonde as she watched her, her skin glowing in the aftermath. The brunette leaned up and kissed Emma softly, making the woman open her eyes and kiss her back.

"I love you." Emma whispered softly as they parted the kiss. Regina smiled and wrapped her arms around the woman's neck.  
"I love you too."


	9. Alarming Memories

Over the passing of weeks, the snow had started to melt away in the northern regions along with the ice, allowing the spring air to breathe new life into the trees. The sun's rays were slowly warming up the earth once more.

Regina enjoyed the warmer weather, charging through the forest on Onyx. The woman laughed as she sat up straight, her arms spread wide as she enjoyed the sun.  Her long hair was whipped around by the wind as she charged forward. She opened her eyes as she heard voices and made the horse stop, looking around cautiously. When she found the source of the voices she relaxed again as it was the traders who were coming back to the northern lands to sell their goods. She rode over to the travellers and smiled.  
  
"Good day." She greeted them with a smile and moved the horse to walk next to them.  
"Hello madam!" A man greeted her and smiled. "Beautiful weather,  isn't it!"  
"Yes, perfect for a ride." Regina smiled and looked at the caravan of travellers. "The town has missed you all." she said and the man laughed heartily.  
"I'm sure you have! It isn't easy to live in the north. The cold is fierce and makes it hard for us to reach the town during the winter." The man said and then looked a little worried. "We aren't the only ones travelling to the north however. I heard that the armies of the White Kingdom are looking for the princess."  
"The princess? Why would they be looking for her here?" The former Queen asked and bit her lip.  
  
"It's the Charmings. The Queen has lost her mind and even locked her husband in the dungeon because he disagreed with her way of reigning the new Kingdom. Ever since the Evil Queen disappeared, she has become consumed with hunting her down and killing her once and for all." The man told Regina. The brunette looked down at her hands and sighed.  
"Snow..." She said softly and sighed. She knew like no other what it's like to be consumed by hatred. "So, why are they looking for the princess and not for the Evil Queen?"  
"Prince Charming still has allies in the castle. He issued the order to find the princess and snap the Queen out of her lust for revenge."

Regina was worried for what would be on the other side of the mountain range. She looked over her shoulders at the mountain covered in thick forest.  
"The war never ended..." Regina whispered and looked at the man. "I'm sorry. I have to leave..." The brunette said and nudged her horse, sprinting back home. She had to get to Emma and tell her the news.

~*~

"Emma! Where are you... Emma!" Regina opened the door and came in all frazzled.  
"Regina, what's the matter?" The blonde looked worried.  
"Your mother... She's gone mad." The brunette grabbed Emma by her arms and looked into her eyes.  
"What are you talking about?" Emma frowned and shook her head. "Are you remembering something out of order again?" She asked and didn't look to worried.  
"Emma, this is serious!" Regina pressed and straightened. "The army of the White Kingdom is looking for you!"

It was silent for a while and Emma looked at the former Queen for any signs of a lie or whatever since this just sounded too absurd.  
"Looking for me?"  
"Charming... He is locked in the dungeon by your mother. She's mad I tell you!"  
"But why? That doesn't make any sense!" Emma shook her head.  
"He opposed her reign and got locked up doing so. The traders told me the army is coming north. This war, Emma, it didn't end with my memories."

Emma couldn't believe the words that had come out of Regina's mouth. Her mother really seemed have gone mad if she had locked her father in the dungeons.  
"So, my mother is looking for me... For what? So she can throw me in the dungeons as well?"  
"No, your father sent the army so you can stop her."  
"What does he expect me to do?! Am I supposed to waltz into the castle and just open the door?!" Emma threw her arms in the air. "What the hell happened over there. Honestly..."

Regina bit her lip and shifted on her feet. She wasn't sure what she was thinking, but she was going to suggest it anyway.  
"What... What if." She started and chuckled. "I can't believe I'm saying this." Emma turned to her again. "What if we both go?" The moment those words had left Regina's mouth, the blonde snorted.  
"Yes, that's a great idea. The former Evil Queen and Princess Nobody charging into the White Kingdom on horse back. That's really gonna make a difference."  
"It's still a better plan than running away." Regina said softly. "I ran, look where that got me. The war is still going and people are still suffering. Is that really fair?" Emma looked at the brunette and sighed.  
"I'm sorry Regina..." Emma said and moved to hug the woman. "I know that this is hard for you. Being confronted with your past once again."

"Is it really such a bad idea?" Regina asked and Emma sighed, looking into the woman's eyes.  
"What I am supposed to do though? I can't fight... I know how to hold a sword, but that's about it."  
"Maybe... Maybe not." Regina turned away and paced back and forth for a little while as she processed all of the information. She stopped and looked at Emma like she had an epiphany.

"True love." Regina whispered.  
"True love?" Emma frowned.

"Yes! True love... That's how we will succeed."

"No offence, but you sound crazy. There is no such thing as true love. Look at my parents!" Emma said and Regina laughed softly.  
"I'm not talking about your idiot parents! I'm talking about you... Ugh." Regina rolled her eyes and walked out of the house. Emma groaned and followed her.  
"What in the hell are you talking about. Have you fallen off your horse when you went out riding because you're talking non-sense! What in the hell do I have to do with true love?!"

Regina grabbed a bow and arrow and pointed it in Emma's direction.  
"I suppose the only way to prove my point is to force you to believe." The brunette said and Emma gasped, looking at Regina nervously as the arrow was pointed right at her.  
"Regina... What are you doing...?"  
"Stop the arrow." Regina said.  
"Wait... WHAT?! How am I supposed to..." Before Emma could even think about it. Regina fired the arrow. Emma put her arms in front of her in defence and waited for the arrow to go through her. The next thing she heard was a loud snap and the arrow falling to the ground in two pieces.

"What...?" She looked at it and then looked at Regina with a gasp. "What the hell did you do?!" Emma yelled and Regina shook her head.  
"I didn't do anything. You did." She pointed at the arrow on the floor. "You protected yourself. You're a child born from true love. True love is the most powerful magic of all." She moved closer after ditching the bow again.  
"But how..." Emma was flabbergasted. The former Queen sighed.  
"I'm not sure how it works exactly, but I do know you have magic." Regina looked into Emma's eyes. The blonde looked from her down to her hands and bit her lip.  
"Magic." She repeated the word and looked at Regina again. "How did you know?"  
"Well, the story of your birth legend." The woman deflected and crossed her arms.

The blonde looked at the arrow on the ground and picked it up, not being able to believe what had just happened.  
"The arrow. What would you have done if it did hit?" Emma asked. Regina chuckled softly and scratched her head. They slowly started walking again.  
"I'm not sure... I didn't think that far ahead." She giggled awkwardly. She knew that this would have worked no matter what however. But she couldn't let the other know she had all her memories back with the risk of losing her lover.

Emma looked at Regina dumbfounded.  
"You tried to shoot me regardless! You're insane!" The blonde chuckled a little. "I swear, you are insane lady."  
"Yeah well, from what I've heard, this isn't half of it." She said and walked away.

"Hey!" Emma followed her and then sighed. "But... How do we use this? I don't know how to use magic. You don't seem to know either." The blonde reasoned and Regina shrugged.  
"Well, we know that it comes out when you need to protect yourself. So, adrenaline seems a good incentive."  
"I'm not letting you shoot me again." Emma shot back and Regina chuckled.

"I'm sorry about that, but I had to be sure."  
"I could have died!"  
"But you didn't." Regina looked at Emma and smiled. "But I agree. We can't have people shoot you to be able to use your magic."

Emma stopped and looked into the forest as they reached the edge of the town.  
"I'm afraid we don't have much time to think about it either." She said as she saw the banners of the White Kingdom as the army pulled up. Regina looked at where the blonde was looking and gasped.  
"They're here... already?"

Regina panicked a little as they had no time to prepare for this event what so ever and looked at Emma.  
"Run." She said and pulled on Emma's arm. "Come on!" She said and pulled the woman along as they went back home.

The two woman ran back home in a hurry.  
"Regina, what are you doing?!" Emma yelled as the woman made a detour and grabbed one of the steel swords used as decoration at the blacksmith.  
"Arming ourselves." She said and threw the sword over to the blonde.  
"What?! I thought we just established I don't know how to fight."  
"You'll learn." Regina said and grabbed the bow and arrow she previously used before running back into the house and blocking the door once inside.  
  
"Great, now I'm hiding. Again." Emma said and looked at the sword in her hand. "Did you seriously just steal a sword?"  
"Do you really think this is the best time to discuss how I got us a weapon?" The woman rolled her eyes and went into the bedroom. "Strip. A dress isn't particularly suited for battle."  
"Battle?! Regina, what the hell do you think we're going to do against twenty fully armoured men with combat training?!" Emma panicked.  
"Hopefully evade them so we can slip away, but just in case." Regina said and threw Emma her riding clothes.  
"Fine..." Emma said and changed.

Regina gathered a few things and sighed. She knew they couldn't stay here. The chances of being found out where too high, especially because they were known with the townspeople. The soldiers simply had to ask where they lived and they would be toast.

"We should take something to eat." Emma said after she changed and grabbed a few things, packing them.  
"Saddle the horses. I'll be right out." Regina said and threw Emma the bag she had packed. "Go."  
"Yes ma'am." The blonde went to the stables and started saddling their horses.

As Emma did so, the soldiers had already gone into town and were asking around about the lost blonde princess of the White Kingdom. After a little pressing, the people pointed them into the direction of the person they might have been looking for. Regina packed a few more things in an extra bag and slung it over her shoulder, grabbing the bow to arm herself and make her way to the stables as well.

The moment Regina opened the door to the house, she saw the soldiers closing in on the house.  
"Halt!" One of the men yelled and looked at the woman. "Who are you? Speak!"  
"Yeah right..." Regina grumbled and slowly sidestepped towards the stables.  
"I said halt!" The man spoke again and two men with crossbows took their aim.

"Regina!" Emma rode over to the woman and then saw all the men threatening her partner.  
"Princess Emma!" One of them yelled. "It's princess Emma!"  
"Isn't that the Evil Queen?" Another man asked and pointed at the brunette.

"It must be her fault! She kidnapped the princess. Get her!" Their leader shouted and pulled his sword.  
"No! Wait! She's not who you think she is! I wasn't kidnapped." Emma yelled and looked at Regina. "Run away! Please..." The blonde begged, wanting to protect the woman she loved.  
"I'm not leaving you!" Regina yelled and bit her lip. "You saved me, now let me save you!"


	10. BurningMemories

_"Run away! Please..." The blonde begged, wanting to protect the woman she loved.  
"I'm not leaving you!" Regina yelled and bit her lip. "You saved me, now let me save you!"_

Emma shook her head and reached out to pull Regina onto the horse, but the woman just smiled and walked over to the men.  
"You want me. Then come and get me, but you're not taking her."  
"Regina!!"Emma yelled.

Emma got off her horse and ran over to the woman who was in the middle of the crossfire.  
"Shoot her!" Was the order given.  
"NOOOOOO!" Emma screamed, tears going down her face. Regina was sacrificing herself to protect her, to be able to run away, but she wasn't running without her, she couldn't run without her. She tried to get to the brunette, to protect her and stop the arrows, but she couldn't.

Emma tripped over her feet as she tried to run too fast. As she fell to the ground, she heard an agonising scream. The blonde looked up slowly, afraid of what she was going to see. But what she saw, wasn't what she expected to see. There was a wall of ice between Regina and the platoon of men, arrows sticking out of it. The scream she had heard, was her own. Emma looked up at the brunette who turned around slowly, the magic swirling around  her hands still.

"I'm sorry..." She said and looked at Emma with tears in her eyes.

"Regina?" Emma slowly got up and carefully moved towards the woman. "What... happened?"  
"I had to use my magic. I couldn't let them hurt us." Regina said softly and looked at the woman with sorrow filled eyes. "I didn't... I didn't tell you that I had my magic because... I was afraid you would run away from me."

Emma was silent for a little while as she realised something.  
"True love... You knew because you remember, don't you." The blonde spoke and Regina nodded.  
"I'm sorry I lied. I didn't want you to be afraid of me! I just... I don't want to lose you, I can't." Regina reached out to Emma. The blonde was hesitant at first, but moved closer and closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of Regina's hand on her cheek.  
"I can't either." She said softly and looked at the brunette again.

The sound of swords bashing against the wall of ice was getting louder and Regina turned around.  
"Perhaps we should talk about this later." She said softly and Emma nodded.  
"I think we need to get out of here."

The blonde took Regina's hand and took her along to the horses, getting on.  
"Let's go." Emma said and the brunette used her magic to make the wall of ice break apart, momentarily throwing the soldiers off as they rode as fast as the horses allowed them.

"Follow them!"

~*~

Regina and Emma rode out of town as fast as they could. As they were going through the pass in the mountain Regina turned to Emma and looked at her.  
"Wait a moment." She said and stopped her horse.  
"We can't stop now!" Emma said as Regina dismounted.  
"Trust me, ok." She said and used her magic to make the trees grow and entangle to make it impossible to pass. She got back on the horse and Emma looked at her work.

"I'm going to have to get used to this." She said honestly and Regina moved closer to the blonde.  
"I'm sorry..." She spoke softly and sighed. "Lets go look for shelter, night will fall soon."

Emma followed the former Queen as they made their way into the first town after the mountain pass. The blonde managed to get a room in the inn and Regina sneaked in through the window so she wouldn't cause an uproar in the town.

The blonde sat down on the bed and looked at the brunette as she stripped her riding coat off.  
"Were you ever going to tell me?" Emma asked and Regina turned to the woman. She could tell by the look on her face what she was talking about.  
"I didn't want to. No." She was honest as she moved to sit next to Emma. "I didn't want to tell you for multiple reasons. I was afraid you would reject me most of all, but I wanted to leave this life behind me. This isn't me anymore..." She looked at her hands and ignited a small fire.

"That day you found me in the forest, I was running away from your mother's army. My own people had betrayed me and I had nowhere to go, so I ran in the hopes to get away from all that. I rode as fast as I could... Then everything went black." Regina bit her lip. "The next thing I knew, I woke up in an unknown place and there you were. This beautiful blonde that was taking care of me when I couldn't. I was apprehensive at first, but I was confused and didn't have any memories. Slowly but surely we grew closer over time. Even if I remembered small bits, I already knew then that I didn't want to go back to the life that I was living before. Those memories were so dark and bitter whenever I remembered them... But then, we got even closer, even went to get our own place, I was so happy to have a good life with you, living together, making new memories and just spending time together. I never thought I could feel such happiness in my life ever again, but you proved it to me." Regina smiled and looked at Emma.

"It happened the morning I had a bad hangover. All the memories just hit me all at once. It was so intense and painful, but you were there, supporting me through all of it, even if you didn't know what was happening. That day, I went out for a walk and in the forest I was surprised by a deer. Out of a reflex I summoned fire, but when I looked at it, it just reminded me of all the pain and suffering. That is is why I decided that I would never go back to who I was and only go forward. I swore to myself to never use magic again and leave the old me behind."

It was silent as Regina finished her story. Emma sniffled a little and wrapped her arms around the woman's waist.

"I won't leave you that easily." The woman whispered and kissed her cheek. "You've had your magic for a long time, but you never hurt me with it even if you could have." She said and made the brunette look at her as she spoke. "I love you, Regina. I don't think you've ever been a bad person... I just... You were pushed over the edge and you went crazy. No one could blame you for that."  
"I ruined lives Emma. I've burned down entire villages and killed everyone who got in my way."  
"But that's not you anymore... In the past, my mother has told me about your past... The one you share with my mother, but also the past of what she knew about what happened between you and your mother. You weren't always the Evil Queen." The blonde said and smiled a little. "You can be that person again from before you were lost."  
"Preferably without my mother." Regina chortled and Emma nodded.

"Yeah..."  
  
"Speaking of mothers." Regina started and wrapped her arm around Emma's waist. "What are we going to do about yours?" She asked and the blonde shrugged.  
"I'm not sure, but currently we are being chased by one army and are charging towards another."

"Agreed, it's not the best plan, but I think if we manage to win over your father, we could make some progress."  
"You make it sound so easy." Emma chuckled.

"Well, as long as they don't see my face we, should be good." Regina smirked.  
"Yeah, and if they do see?"  
"Perhaps we shouldn't think about what might happen then..."  
"Maybe we're going about this all wrong." Emma reasoned and bit her lip.  
"What is your plan?" Regina frowned and the blonde moved to lie back, pulling the other with her.

"What if we talk to the men chasing us? If we could win them over, we're at least better prepared to go into enemy territory." She reasoned.  
"You have a point, however, we just went and ran away from them after I gave them a cold shower."

"Perhaps tomorrow we should go and apologise." Emma giggled.  
"Now who's insane..." The brunette said and the blonde chuckled.

"Shut up and kiss me." She leaned in. Regina rolled her eyes yet leaned in as well, meeting her halfway.

~*~

The following morning the women got ready to set their plan in motion. They packed enough supplies and headed back to the pass to find the soldiers that chased them the night before. Regina was still a bit apprehensive of the plan but went with it since it was the only one they had. As they reached the trees Regina had enchanted the day before, they got off their horses. They could hear the men hacking at the trees from the other side quite ferociously.

"Are you sure about this?" Regina asked and Emma nodded.  
"Yes. Just... Let me do the talking OK?" The blonde spoke and Regina nodded. She moved her hand and opened a small passage in the trees. The men on the other side took a step back before looking at the two women on the other side.  
"Why did you come?" Their leader asked and Emma looked at Regina before moving through the passage.  
"Despite what you might think, Regina isn't a bad person... So could you please lower your weapons so no one gets hurt?" The blonde started. The man seemed to weigh his options and then nodded.  
"Stand down men." He said and moved closer to Emma. "Speak."  
  
"I heard about what happened in the Kingdom from Regina. Is it true? Did my father really get locked away by my mother?" The blonde asked and the man nodded slowly.  
"Your mother went mad in her hunt for that witch!" He pointed at Regina who just rolled her eyes. "You father tried to talk some sense into her as she started planning to take over more Kingdoms. With the Evil Queen gone, she could easily conquer more lands and get more power. Since she ordered the hunt on Regina, she's become power hungry. We had no choice when she told us to lock up your father, she would have taken our heads if we didn't."  
"Charming..." Regina snorted sarcastically. Emma fixed her with a glare and Regina shrugged.  
"You can't tell me you can't see the irony in all this." When the woman didn't get a reaction she just turned away and moved to sit down on a tree stump, crossing her arms and legs.  
  
"Why did my father order you to find me?" Emma asked and the man sighed.  
"Honestly, I have no idea what he's planning. He hoped that if she saw you she'd regain her senses, but I'm afraid we might be past that. If this goes on much longer, the kingdom will be ruined."

It was silent again and Emma looked at Regina.  
"So now you want my opinion." The woman snorted.  
"Come on Regina, this is not just my parents anymore, this is all the people in the kingdom." Emma said and the woman sighed.  
"I know..." Regina got up. "Look... uuhm..." She addressed the man in the armour again.  
"Michael." The man filled in.  
"Michael..." The woman repeated and put her hands on her hips. "What do you suggest we do? I mean, congratulations, you found the princess, but now what?"

The man looked troubled and eventually shrugged.  
"I never thought I'd find her... Much less, find her with you." He said.  
"Trust me, If you had asked me last year, I'd have had your head on a spike. Never the less, here we are, and we have a winter sized problem on our hands called Snow."

"Why don't we do this the old fashioned way?" One of the other men suggested. "Join a different kingdom and attack. If she has less power, it's easier to invade and knock her of the throne."  
"That's a great plan! If you actually have time and are willing to sacrifice thousands of people..." Regina reasoned and rolled her eyes. "Anyone else with half a brain got any suggestions..?" She looked around and the men just shrunk under her gaze. "I didn't think so either. Now leave the planning to me. This wouldn't be the first time I shove the princess off her throne."


	11. Fightning Memories

A week later, the two women and the platoon of men that had been sent to find Emma had set up camp in the White Kingdom's summer palace. It was close to the main castle but provided a proper roof as well as it being easily defended in case of an attack.

Regina leaned over a table with a map on it. She used chess pieces to mark where Snow White's armies were stationed. She put down the white Queen on top of the main castle's location as Emma walked in.  
"So, how are we going to storm the castle?" She asked and the brunette looked up.  
"Honestly, with the men we got, there won't be much of a battle, let alone any storming at castles." She spoke softly and put the black Queen piece on top of their location. Emma looked at the pieces and picked up a rook.  
"Why are you using chess pieces?" She asked and Regina chuckled.  
"For lack of better markings really." She said and put one black pawn down at the summer palace before putting down all the white pawns around the white Queen.

"Are you sure you got these pieces right?" Emma picked up the white Queen and black Queen.  
"What do you mean?" Regina asked and the blonde smiled before putting the black Queen inside of the main castle and the white one at the summer palace. The brunette watched her closely and chuckled humorlessly. "I'm not sure if you should be doing that just yet."  
"Why not?" Emma asked and moved to stand behind the former Queen and wrapped her arms around her waist. "You've been repenting since you lost your memory."  
"It doesn't make my former deeds go away... Neither will the ones we are about to commit." She said and looked over her shoulder.

"You do realise that these men are likely to die, whether we succeed or fail."  
"You have so little faith in their will to live." The blonde chuckled and Regina snorted.  
"I have little faith in Snow's mercy right now. Since we've been here, there has been several increases in patrol, villagers are getting harassed about taxes since she needs to pay for all her army, and if that's not enough, they've started to torture the people who don't pay up."  
"Maybe that's it though...?" Emma said softly.  
"What is?"  
"An uprising. The people aren't going to take this much longer. I mean... Back when you ruled, your villages were well provided for and taxes weren't too high as long as they provided the food and other necessities for your men, right? It was a fair system, unlike the one that my mother is using right now..."  
"Yeah... But what you're getting at?"

Emma moved around the table and grabbed a few black pawns.  
"So, there are villages here, here and here... They're the biggest ones and in the perfect middle of these three is the castle. What if we can cause an uprising, making the people storm at the castle so we can sneak inside?" Emma suggested and Regina wrapped her arms around her own waist and looked at the map.  
"It could work, but the chances of people dying in this little endeavour is pretty much inevitable at this point. Snow is getting desperate."

"We just need to get inside and to my father." Emma said and sat down on the table. "It's not a perfect plan, but it's a plan." She reasoned and Regina chuckled.  
"I suppose that's true."  
"Unless you have a better idea." Emma smirked and tilted her head a little.

"I had one idea... It's crazy and very dangerous, but it would provide enough of a distraction for you to get inside."  
"Like what?"  
"What if I just charge onto the castle head on, set the bloody thing on fire and deal with whatever comes my way. In the end, Snow is just deadset on getting my head. She can try and come get it."  
"NO!" Emma gasped. "I won't let you!" The blonde shook her head and got up. "There must be hundreds of men inside of there... I'm not even worried about them, but I'm worried about you! I won't let you sacrifice yourself."  
"Who said anything about sacrificing myself?" Regina smirked and crossed her arms. "Look... I'll just set a couple of fires so they can't get to me. I'm merely a distraction..."  
"A very beautiful distraction that I'm not willing to lose." Emma said and bit her lip. The brunette looked at the princess and moved closer to her, leaning in to kiss her softly.

"I promise I won't let them get to me, but at least this way, we might not lose so many innocent lives."  
"I might need a little more convincing." Emma whispered between their lips and Regina smirked a little, setting her hands on the younger woman's hips and pulling her closer.  
"Oh? And what could I do to convince you, hmm?" The brunette slowly moved them around so the blonde was wedged between her and the table, sliding her hands up the woman's bare back as she got her hands under the loose blouse she was wearing.  
"I'm not sure." Emma said and gasped as Regina lifted her up and put her on the table before getting between her legs.  
"I can think of a few things." The brunette licked her lips and slid her hands over the woman's thighs, scratching her nails over the fabric of the woman's pants while leaning in to kiss the blonde's neck. "Just leave it to me..."

~*~

The next morning, Michael and his men were readying their horses as the former Queen and princess walked out of the summer palace.  
"Good morning." He said softly and looked away the moment Regina's eyes met his. The brunette smirked and just brushed past the man and went straight for Onyx.  
"Morning..." Emma said and looked at the man. "Why are you blushing?" She asked and frowned. The man cleared his throat and put the saddle on his horse.  
"Nothing in particular." He mumbled before Regina joined them again, leading Onyx.  
"He might have seen us discussing our 'strategy' while I was 'convincing' you of my brilliant little plan." She just walked past and Emma slowly puzzled the pieces together before blushing deeply.  
"WHAT?! Regina! Come back here! What do you mean he saw us~?" The blonde chased the brunette.

Regina got on her horse and looked at Emma, grabbing her hand and pulling her onto the horse.  
"We walked in when you passed out." She said softly and smirked. "He heard you yelling~ You were entirely too loud princess. He assumed you were in danger, not cumming all over my face." The brunette kissed the shell of Emma's ear. She could feel the skin burning up as the blonde blushed deeply and groaned in frustration.

"Now, lets go!" Regina commanded and everyone got on their horses before they rode to the main castle.

Time was of the essence as Snow White got more crazy with every passing day. She was no longer beyond extortion, torture and murdering her own people.

"We can do this." Emma whispered softly to Regina and smiled, cupping her cheek. The brunette nodded and rested her forehead against Emma's.  
"Together."

~*~

It was dark again by the time they reached the main castle. They had to avoid many patrols to get there and when they did, they were greeted by a large camp around the castle, housing all the soldiers.

"This is slightly problematic." Regina said softly and Emma nodded.  
"How will we get close enough to sneak in?" The blonde slowly slid off the horse and hid behind some bushes, trying to spy on the men on the other side. Regina got off as well and moved closer to Emma.

"It's up to you, I could still set the place on fire, but the chance of casualties is increased with these tents." She whispered and bit her lip.

Emma was silent for a while and then looked at Regina again.  
"Can you knock them out? A sleeping spell or whatever?" She asked and Regina nodded.  
"Yeah, but I'm not sure if it works on this many, assuming they're all around the castle." The brunette sat down properly and thought for a while. "All we need to do is cover up the fact people are sneaking in..." She whispered to herself. She then conjured fire in one hand and ice with the other, creating steam.

"Fog." Emma said and Regina nodded.  
"I can do this large scale." She said and looked at the blonde.  
"Let's do it."

Regina and Emma went back to the horse, leading Onix back to the rest.  
"And?" Michael asked as he saw the two women close in.  
"We can do it. Plan will be altered a little, but we can get in." Emma nodded and smiled at Regina squeezed her hand.  
"It will take a while before I cover the whole area."  
"We're ready whenever you are." The man looked a little smug and pointed to his men who were all in formation.

Regina chuckled and turned in the direction of the castle.  
"Very well." She said and started to conjure the fire and ice at the same time, creating big wafts of steam.

It took close to half an hour to cover the entire castle in a thick fog. Emma held Regina gently as she rested for a moment.  
"You did it." The blonde smiled and Regina nodded slowly.  
"Yes..." She said softly and held onto her younger lover for a moment before managing to steady herself. Using magic for so long without breaks had taken a toll. "Come on, we should hurry." The brunette said and stumbled a little, following Michael and the others.  
"Take it easy." Emma said softly and kissed Regina softly. "Why don't you stay here and rest?"  
"I'm not weak!" Regina said sternly and composed herself before walking off.

Emma rolled her eyes as she watched the woman walk off stubbornly.

They made their way through the ranks of soldiers. Regina made a portion of them sleep so they wouldn't be spotted and got inside more easily than expected.

"This is too easy..." Regina said and followed Emma as she made her way to the dungeons to get her father.  
"I'm not about the complain about an easy mission."  
"I'm just saying you should be careful. Snow's not stupid... I've underestimated her often enough to know this might just be a trap."  
"Relax." Emma said and opened the door to the dungeon.

They quickly made their way down and it didn't take long to find Prince Charming.  
"Dad?" Emma asked and looked at the man who slowly looked up at his daughter.  
"Emma... Is that really you?" He asked and got up, moving closer to the bars.  
"It's me dad!" She said and reached out, touching his hands. "I can't believe mom did this."  
"Trust me, I still can't believe it either and I've been here for a while." He chuckled dryly and looked at the hands on top of his own. "I hope you have a plan." The man said and Emma smiled before looking over her shoulder.  
"It might be a bit unconventional, but yes." Charming followed his daughter's line of sight and gasped, taking a few steps back.  
"What  _is_  she doing here?!"

Before Regina could speak, Michael moved forward.  
"She could have killed us, but she didn't." He said and put his hand on the former Queen's shoulder. The brunette stiffened a little at the contact but let it slide. "She actually got us in." He added and moved towards the door of the cell Charming was held in and opened it.

Charming stepped outside and looked at Regina more closely before looking at his daughter.  
"Very well, I'll trust you."  
"Not like you have much choice." Regina rolled her eyes and turned around.  
"Babe, relax." Emma said and slid her hand over the woman's back and whispered in her ear. "Let's get out of here first." She kissed her cheek and the brunette mellowed out a little.

Charming watched the interaction between his daughter and the Evil Queen closely. He decided not to say anything since it wasn't the time for it, but he had his ideas about what was really going on between the two.


	12. Snow Fall

Now that they had freed Charming, they made their way back out of the dungeon and instead went to find Snow to try and talk some sense into her.

"If we can't talk sense in her, what will we do?" Regina asked and looked at the blonde who bit her lip.  
"I'm not really sure to be honest."  
"Last time, my words didn't seem to come through to her at all... It's like she is bewitched or something." Charming said and Regina looked at him.  
"Bewitched?" She asked and stopped in her tracks. "Wait a minute..." She said and turned to everyone. "She's been like this ever since I was chased out of the forest, right?"  
"Yeah... But I'm not sure what you're getting at." Charming frowned.  
"Didn't your darling wife hire all those dark wizards to overthrow me?"  
"Yes..." The man confirmed and then something clicked in his mind.  
"You think she's under the control of one of them?" Emma asked and the brunette nodded.  
"It's a possibility, yes."

"It would make the most sense. Normally she values my opinion, at least a little bit, but right now she disregards everything anyone says except..."  
"Who?" Emma asked and the man groaned.  
"The Puppet Master."

It was silent for a while before Regina broke it in an uncharacteristic manner.  
"Well, that's just fucking great." She put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes.  
"What is it?" Michael asked and frowned. "He doesn't sound too threatening."  
"He might have a funny name, but he's anything but fun." The brunette said and crossed her arms. "He can make people do anything he wants when he gets his strings on you. If he really is the one controlling Snow, then we have to be smart about this. We can't just storm in. He can control people from an amazing distance."  
"How do you know all this?" Charming asked and the former Queen sighed.  
"Because he used to work for me. Apparently Snow made a better target for his world domination plans." She explained and started moving to the throne room again.

"So, what will we do now?" Emma asked and bit her lip. "Can't we at least see if our words will get through to Snow?"  
"That's not really the problem in this case. He can't really control their minds. She can hear us, she just can't do anything against his will because he controls her body and her speech. It's like holding someone's heart, just without ripping it out."  
"What would happen if we were to take her heart?" Charming asked and Regina turned to look at him.  
"That's the point, the strings are around the heart. If we were to rip it out, it would only hurt Snow."  
"Well there went that idea." Emma said and groaned. "Why do you even know such troublesome characters." She said and Regina shot her a look like 'Really?' before stopping quite suddenly. Charming bumped into her back and the woman glared at him before moving to take Michael's sword.

"Wh-what are you going to do with that?!" Emma panicked a little and Regina shook her head before reaching up to a nearly invisible thread, using her magic to light it up.  
"These seem to go through the entire castle." She said and used the sword to cut it.  
"Could we be able to cut them all?" Charming asked and the former Queen nodded.  
"In theory, yes. If we were to cut them all, his hold over her would weaken and force him to come out of hiding. He's not particularly strong, but we don't know how many pawns he has."  
"I'll cut through all of them, if that's what it takes!" Charming said and Emma smirked.  
"Right!"

"Lets do this!" 

~*~

They decided to go in teams of three to find the wires and cut them. Regina had rolled her eyes a little as Charming insisted on going with them, but on the other hand she could hardly blame the man for wanting to be with his daughter that he hadn't seen in a long time.

"So... What is going on between the two of you exactly?" The man asked and looked from his daughter to the former Queen and back to his daughter again. "I can't imagine the two of you becomes best friends overnight." He muttered a little. Regina cocked her eyebrow but decided against a snode remark and instead went for the truth.  
"After your dear wife chased me out of the forest, I got injured. Emma found me and nursed me back to health as I had lost all my memories until recently." She said and left it at that. She wasn't about to tell him how they fell in love and how they very much consummated that love too.

Charming looked at Emma who held up her hands.  
"I have absolutely nothing to add to that. It's the truth." She smiled and looked at Regina. "Just trust me when I say, she's not who she was last year." The blonde reached up and cut through a few of the wires that gathered at a corner.

"I suppose, I owe you an apology. What Snow did was wrong." Charming said and Regina shook her head.  
"It might have been wrong, but I wasn't much better now, was I?"  She turned slightly to the man and tilted her head. "I was in a very dark place, hurting really badly and my only way to cope with it was to make others hurt as I had been hurt. I can't say I don't occasionally have thoughts about snapping some idiot's neck, but the accident rewinded me to before all that. I had hope again. It gave me a chance to start over. I was just lucky enough that your daughter had found me and gave me the benefit of the doubt. Anyone else would have killed me on sight most likely." She said softly and stopped them from rounding the corner as there was a guard. She knocked him out with a sleeping spell and just stepped over his body as they pushed on.  
"I have to admit, you look different." The man smiled slightly. "I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair down like this." He mused and Emma glared at him a little.  
"Don't get any funny ideas." She muttered and grabbed the woman's wrist, pulling the brunette closer. "She's mine."

Charming was taken aback a little as he watched his daughter become possessive all of a sudden. He chuckled softly and looked away.  
"I didn't mean anything by it." He held up his hands in defence and looked at the two women. "Are you two by any chance... dating?" He asked and the two stopped in their tracks. As they didn't manage to come up with an excuse in time, Charming made his conclusion. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

Emma hesitated a little and bit her lip, holding onto Regina a little tighter who instead moved to hold her hand gently.  
"You're not angry, or disgusted, or weirded out by it?" The blonde asked softly. Charming scratched behind his ear.  
"Well, it might not be really common, but it's not unheard of, is it?" He tilted his head. "I suppose... Ehh... I guess what I'm trying to say is..."  
"Oh for god sake, spit it out." Regina got antsy as the man wouldn't hurry up and say it already. Charming chuckled awkwardly and took a deep breathe.  
"I don't care... As long as you're happy." He looked at his daughter with a smiled and moved closer, cupping her cheek. "Next to your mother, I love you more than anything and all I wish for is your happiness. If that means you're dating the Evil Queen, then... so be it." He said and looked at Regina quickly and held up his hands again. "No offence!" He quickly added. The brunette narrowed her eyes for a moment but then smirked.  
"None taken, but I'd prefer it if you'd just call me Regina... I'm no longer a Queen and I don't think I'm that evil anymore either." She said and just started walking again, grabbing another few wires and cutting them.

"We're making quite a bit of progress, there are too many more of these." Regina said softly and Charming looked at the woman's back as she went to cut the wires.  
"Thank you... For helping." He said sincerely. The brunette turned around and smiled a little at the man.  
"Don't mention it. I've ruined her life on more than one occasion. I think I owe her this at least." She said softly and looked away to hide the blush that was creeping up on her cheeks. She still wasn't used to getting sincere compliments, least of all from the people she had hunted for longer than she can remember.

As they got closer to the throne room, more of their party was joining them once more until they finally stood infront of the impressive double doors.

"It's now or never." Charming said. Regina and Emma nodded in agreement. Michael and one of his men opened the doors as they stood there battle ready.

It was dark inside of the throne room. Not a single candle was lit as they tried to look inside and see if Snow was there.  
"Excuse me." Regina said and created some fire, sending it into the room and lighting the candles in one go. As the light filled the room, they could finally see Snow White hunched on her throne. Emma used her sword to cut the last thread connected to the woman and bit her lip. She desperately wanted to run over to her mother to see if she was ok, but Regina held her and her father back.  
"We're not sure if she's in control yet." She whispered and looked around the room for any traps.

Charming moved to stand slightly infront of the former Queen and his daughter with his sword pulled, ready to defend them even if the brunette was more than capable of defending herself.

Snow White slowly started moving a little. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and looked around her a little dazed.  
"What's happening?" She asked and held her head like she had a really bad hangover. Regina let her guard down a little and tapped Charming's shoulder to tell him it's ok. He rushed to his wife's side and held her close.  
"It's ok, we'll explain later." He said and looked into the woman's eyes. He got tears in his own as he saw he had his wife back. "I've missed you." He said softly and Snow smiled weakly.  
"It's like I've been stuck in this weird dream..." She said and bit her lip. "Hurting the people I love..." She said and looked closely at Charming, seeing that he wasn't completely unscated and rather dirty from his stay in the dungeons. Snow's eyes grew a little larger in realisation. "It wasn't a dream, was it..." She said and Regina and Emma slowly moved closer as well.

"I'm afraid it wasn't a dream, Snow." The brunette said as Emma embraced her mother. The fair skinned woman looked at the former Queen and gasped.  
"You're alive!" She said and crawled back in fear. "Please don't hurt my family!" She held Charming and Emma close to her and looked around her for a weapon.  
"Snow, calm down." Charming cupped the woman's cheeks and made her look at him. "She helped to save you. She knows who's behind this whole mess."  
"Save me?! She's the Evil Queen, she saves no one." Saying Snow was surprised was an understatement. Regina smiled awkwardly.  
"Just, trust us." The man said and looked at the brunette. "We're not out of the woods yet." He said and Regina nodded in agreement to Charming's statement.

Regina then turned around and conjured a pair of fireballs in her hands, getting ready for battle.  
"He's here."


	13. Final Memories

The man's footsteps echoed in the hallways as he made his way to the throneroom where everyone was currently standing around Snow in a defensive position, ready to fight whatever was coming at them.

"My my, what a turn out~" The man spoke with a sultry voice and a grin. He looked straight at the Evil Queen and tilted his head. "Though, I didn't quite expect to see you here. I thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere. I suppose life is full of surprises." The man went on and moved even closer. "But I suppose I should have known that you would survive, after all, vermin is hard to kill no matter how pretty it might look." He stopped and looked at the new faces in the room. "Where are my manners? My name is..." But before the man could even utter another word, Regina charged forward and ripped his heart clean out, crushing it at the same time.

She turned around and dusted off her hands while the corpse collapsed behind her. Everyone looked at her with their mouth agape in shock and surprise.  
"What?" She asked. "I wasn't gonna wait for him to finish. What's the point anyway? Wait for him to finish his villain monologue only to attack us afterwards?" She explained and Emma bit her lip before snorting a little.  
"I suppose its just not quite what we expected. You made him sound rather terrifying." She said and looked at the others quickly.  
"I said he's a pain but rather weak. See..." She motioned to the dead body behind her and Charming laughed a little.

"Well, so much for an epic battle." He said and sheeted his sword. "I think I speak for all of us when I say you saved us a lot of trouble." The man moved to face the former Queen properly. "Thank you for helping me save my wife and Kingdom... And for staying with my daughter." He smiled a little and turned back to his wife. Snow was still a bit confused by all of this but got up slowly and with the help of Emma moved towards Regina and Charming.  
"I think I owe you an apology." The woman said softly. Regina was a little taken aback since she didn't expect this from her at all.  
"You don't have to..." She said quickly and waved it off. "Let's just call it even now, shall we?" The brunette said and Snow smiled.  
"I can live with that." She said and held out her hand to the woman. The former Queen looked at it and hesitated for a moment before taking it.  
"Wonderful!" Charming said and smiled. "I'm going to send out the messenger birds. I think it's time to spread the good news." He said and wandered off.

Michael and his men bowed to the royalty in the room and smiled.  
"If you'll excuse us, we have an army to reorganize." He said and took his leave as well.

Emma looked at her mother and smiled a little.  
"You sound like you again." The blonde spoke softly and Snow bit her lip and looked at her daughter full of regret.  
"I hurt you and your father so much. I should have never trusted that man, I'm so sorry." She said and Regina rolled her eyes a little.  
"It's not really your fault. He was a slippery cockroach of society with a charming face and a way with words." She said and Snow looked back at her former enemy.  
"You knew him then." She said and the brunette nodded.  
"I knew many cockroaches, but I no longer associate myself with them." Snow frowned a little as the woman said that. Emma moved to stand beside Regina and put her hand on the woman's lower back.

"Regina had an accident and lost her memories. I found her and she's been with me ever since. She did get her memories back recently, but this is the first time in months she has used her magic to this extend or even killed someone." The blonde said. Regina leaned a little into the warm touch to her back and leaned closer to Emma. Snow didn't fail to notice the interaction between the two of them.

"Well, I'm thankful that you saved my family from me." She said and looked at the man on the floor. "And from him."  
"It was my pleasure, but don't expect me to make habit of it because I kicked the habit when I hit my head."  
"Oh trust me, I feel much safer knowing my heart will stay where it belongs." Snow chuckled a little and Regina glared at her a little before smirking.  
"Don't tempt me to change my mind."  
"Ok, that's enough." Emma snorted and shook her head. "Mom, I'm sure you want to get some rest, we'll go see if we can help somewhere else." The blonde gave Regina a meaningful look and the brunette nodded.  
"Perhaps get some sleep, after all, we've been at it since this morning." Emma nodded in agreement.  
"We'll be in my room if you're looking for us." The blonde said and quickly hugged her mother before guiding the brunette to the door.  
"Good night." Snow said quickly and watched the two women hurry off. "I must be imagining things..." She said softly to herself and shook her head.

~*~

Regina and Emma were lying in the blonde's double bed, curled up in each other's arms while completely naked as the palace was warm and the blankets protected them from any other form of cold.

Emma was watching as the brunette had fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. The blonde knew she had exerted herself, using the amount of magic she did to make the fog and pushing herself to keep going. Emma kissed the woman's forehead gently and smiled.  
"I love you." She whispered before lying down properly and closing her own eyes and letting sleep claim her as well.

In the morning, she woke up again with Regina lying on top of her sleeping like the dead. Emma smiled a little as she looked the the messy brunette hair sprawled all over them and felt the woman's tickling breathe on her neck.

"Emma, are you decent?" Charming knocked on the door and the blonde gasped softly as she was a little startled. She didn't have it in her to move Regina and bit her lip. The blonde pulled the blankets tighter around them to cover up more.  
"Sort of..." She said loud enough for the man to hear. Charming cracked the door open and glanced inside. He chuckled a little at the sight of the still sleeping Regina and his daughter trapped under the dead weight.  
"Am I disturbing anything?" He asked and Emma shook her head.  
"I think you could set off a cannon next to her head and she still wouldn't wake." The blonde mused a little and the man bit his lip to stop himself from laughing.  
"I just wanted to invite you to breakfast, but it seems like you have your hands full." He said and the blonde smirked a little.  
"You're personally inviting me to breakfast. That's a first." She said and he scratched behind his ear.  
"I thought I might find you somewhere along these lines, so I decided against sending a maid who's likely to tell everyone what she saw in here." He reasoned and Emma chuckled.  
"Did you tell mom yet?" She asked and He shook his head.  
"No, I think this is something you should tell her. It's not my news to tell after all." He said and the blonde nodded.  
"Thank you." She said softly and watched Regina stir a little.

Charming smiled and took it as his cue to leave.  
"I'll tell her you two were still sleeping. I'll see you at lunch." He chuckled and quietly left the couple. When the door closed, Regina opened her eyes.

"A cannon hmm?" Regina asked and Emma gasped.  
"I thought you were still sleeping!"  
"I was... But I rather pretend to sleep than face your parents first thing in the morning while my hair is an absolute mess and I'm in a severe state of undress." The brunette reasoned and Emma chuckled.  
"You're right." She said and pushed the woman's hair behind her ear before kissing her deeply. "But, now we have till lunch~" She reasoned and Regina smirked a little before kissing the woman again.  
"I could think of a few things that would make excellent use of the time that we just got..." The brunette said and Emma grinned a little.  
"I think I know what you mean~" She said and rolled them over so Regina was now lying on her back, the blankets slipping away from their bodies as they moved together perfectly. Emma slid her hands over the former Queen's arms and slowly moved to lace their fingers together, pressing the woman's hands into the mattress as they kissed deeply. Regina slowly moved to wrap her legs around the blonde's waist and pulled her down to lie properly on top of her, holding her in place. Emma purred and kissed a little deeper, their lips and tongues moving together sensually, making the both of them moan softly.

In the distance, Snow walked through the hallway.  
"What do you mean they were still sleeping? Why are they even in the same room? We have more than one guestroom..." Snow said and Charming tried to stop the woman from going inside the room but it was too late. Before he could even stop the woman from turning the handle, she was already inside and blushing deeply at the sight she was met with.  
"I'M SO SORRY."  She said and quickly marched out of the room, slamming the door closed behind her. She looked at Charming with a deep blush and shook her head.

"Not a word." She hissed.

Regina looked at the closed door with wide eyes and slowly turned to look at Emma.  
"Did we just start a new war?" The brunette asked carefully and the blonde chuckled.  
"It can definitely wait till we're done." She said and Regina blushed deeply.  
"Your mom just walk in on us and you want to continue... You're hopeless." She said and Emma kissed the woman again to shut her up.  
"You're talking too much and I'm horny." The blonde said and slid her hands down the Queen's body, rubbing her soft breasts before pulling her nipples a little to tease her. "If you're insisting on being busy with your mouth I have another plan for those lips." The blonde grinned and looked into her lover's eyes deeply, watching them darken with lust and desire.

She knew then and there she had won this battle.

~*~

Emma and Regina walked into the dining room with their arms linked together. Snow and Charming were already seated in their places and waiting for the two women to join them for lunch.

"Sorry about this morning." Emma said casually as she sat down. Charming smiled a little but Snow blushed deeply and swallowed. She said nothing however.

Lunch was brought in and about halfway through the lunch, Snow broke the awkward silence.  
"So... Are the two of you..?" She didn't even finish her sentence properly.  
"I'd say we are..." Emma said and looked at Regina. The brunette smirked a little.  
"Yeah, we definitely are having sex together." She said bluntly, making Snow spit out the wine she was drinking to hide her discomfort. "I thought it was pretty obvious seeing you saw us." Regina added for good measure and looked at Emma playfully who was desperately holding back her laughter.  
"I already gave her the dad speech." Charming said as Snow looked at him. The pixie haired woman leaned back in her chair and looked at her husband seriously before looked at the other two women.  
"He knew?"  
"Yep." Emma said and took a bite from an apple.  
"When were you gonna tell me?"

"Right now." Regina smiled. "I love her more than anything. Emma has given me the best memories I could ever wish for. She makes me a better person and she makes me want to be better still. So, do you mind if I date your daughter?"

The brunette looked straight at Snow who was a little taken aback by the woman's words, but she could tell they were the truth. She looked at Emma who was smiling at Regina. By the shimmer in her eyes, Snow could tell the woman was tearing up, touched by the words as well. Snow looked back at the former Evil Queen and nodded.

"Take care of her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me." She smiled and bit her lip as she suddenly thought of something. "But when you get married, please don't call me mom..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was it people... Sad but true.
> 
> Thank you for reading everyone!


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